


They are Heroes

by bingbong21



Category: Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Child Abuse, F/M, Humor, Teen Romance, it's touko/n, that relationship tagging was the craziest thing ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 11:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9894767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bingbong21/pseuds/bingbong21
Summary: An epic battle commences, in which the fate of Unova's valiant heroes will be determined...Or will it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2011, entire story finished in 2012

"Scruffy, use Retaliate," Shouted a young trainer, her brown hair tied up in a high ponytail. The large Stoutland growled, attacking the menacing Zoroark with enough force to knock an ordinary enemy out with one hit. The young trainer smirked, his green eyes twinkling with pride in his partner. 

"Really Touko, have you been ignoring your friends," He asked before pointing directly at her Stoutland, "Zoroark, defend our truth with your Focus Blast!" 

Zoroark bared his teeth, unleashing an astonishing amount of energy towards Scruffy. The Stoutland was hit directly in the chest, flying backwards a few feet before slamming onto the ground unconscious. Touko grit her teeth, pulling out her Pokeball. 

"Scruffy, return!" She said, a red light shooting out of the ball and engulfing the Pokemon. It immediately disappeared from sight back into the Pokeball, shrinking to a miniscule size. She placed the ball back on her hip, immediately pulling another out of her belt. 

"Go get 'em Pumba," She shouted, tossing the ball into the air. It opened, releasing an enormous Emboar, the ground shaking as it landed. It gave a large snort, pounding its two hooves together in an intimidating manner. Zoroark growled at him, shackles rising in order to make it look bigger. 

"Using type advantages now," He asked, arms crossed over his chest, "If you really had a strong bond, you could beat me with a Munna right now."

"Sorry to disappoint N, but I left my Munna at home. Now Pumba, use Arm Thrust!" Touko shouted. Pumba charged at Zoroark, moving extremely quickly for a Pokemon of its size. Zoroark was taken by surprise by this burst of speed; Pumba took the chance and began to pound it with its muscular arms with every ounce of power it held. Zoroark howled in pain, stumbling backwards before falling flat on its back, unconscious before it even hit the ground. 

"Alright Pumba," Touko shouted, her fist pumping into the air in victory. N pulled out a Pokeball, returning Zoroark back to its home by his side. 

"You fought valiantly Zoroark; I could never ask of more from you," He said, placing the ball gently back to his side. He pulled out another, his eyes turning upwards to watch Touko in her joy. He chuckled slightly, finding amusement in her victory antics. 

"I don't see why you're celebrating already," He said, the ball growing large in his hand, "After all; you've yet to defeat my ultimate ally." Touko halted in her actions, turning to look at him with determination in her eyes. 

"I could say the same for you too N." She said, returning Pumba to its Pokeball before pulling another one out. N smirked, tossing the ball slightly in his hand. 

"Well then, let's settle it." 

Touko grasped the brim of her cap, pulling it up slightly so as to keep her vision clear. "Fine by me!"

"I call on your strength, Reshiram," N shouted, throwing the ball into the air. The ball burst open, releasing a massive Pokemon of the brightest white; it roared with enough authority to intimidate even the bravest of trainers. Touko wasn't scared at all; she instead welcomed the challenge with open arms, tossing her own Pokeball into the air. 

"Let's go Zekrom," She called, causing the ball to release a menacing black dragon the same size and power of Reshiram. Zekrom glared at Reshiram, releasing its own powerful battle call, answering Reshiram's challenge. As both dragons stared each other down and as both masters of the legends began to make their moves, the world suddenly went pitch-black before fading into a bleak, gray landscape.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me!" Touko shouted, throwing her DS down onto the ground in frustration. N sighed, closing his own DS silently as he watched her throw a tantrum.

"I told you to attach your charger when it went red," He said, pocketing his DS. Touko turned on him, her cheeks puffed out in anger. 

"I _thought_ I would've won the stupid battle by then," She growled, her arms crossed over her chest as she turned away from him, "Why are you so strong?" 

"Let's see…I've been playing longer than you, my brain is more developed than yours due to me being older, I have a talent for strategic battling, Pokemon battling is nothing more than formulas and calculations; both of which I'm good at, and well…That's about it." He said, shrugging his shoulders. 

"Yeah, but my Pokemon are at levels that most of the world only dreams of getting to," She argued, staring at him from the corners of her eyes. He rolled his eyes, leaning back on her bed, his arms crossed behind his head. 

"Even if you are not the mightiest of swords, you can still defeat your opponents with knowledge of their weaknesses," He said, staring up at her pink ceiling. Touko turned around, resting her head on her arms as she stared at him from the side of the bed. 

"How come you make me calm when I'm mad," She mumbled, fiddling with her bedspread. N turned his head to look at her, a smile on his face. 

"Because we're opposites of the same spectrum, either complimenting and calming each other or driving the other mad."

"Driving each other mad…You mean like that time everyone found out your name was really Nathaniel," She asked, blue eyes full of innocent inquiry. N frowned, grimacing inwardly as he remembered that time in their history. 

"I thought it was agreed that we'd never mention it again." 

"You're still mad about that," She asked, voice full of surprise. When she received no answer, she hopped onto the bed, causing his body to bounce slightly from the force. "Come on N that was like two years ago!"

"And to this day, Bianca _still_ slips and calls me by my real name in public." 

Touko looked down, fiddling with her fingers. "Not her fault she can be a little…forgetful at times." She mumbled, looking down at the bed shyly. He sat up, smiling as he watched the contrite expression on her face. 

"Of course, there have been many more times that I consider compliments than madness," He said, leaning back on his hands. Touko looked up, a slightly confused look on her face. 

"Really? 'Cuz I can only count a couple times…" She said, trailing off as she stared up at the ceiling, racking her brain for any times she could be missing. He chuckled at her obliviousness, amused by her actions. 

"Why don't you name all the times you remember, and I'll just fill you in?" N suggested, watching her reaction. She nodded, immediately beginning to count the times off on her fingers. "Well, there was the time when I first met you; then there was the time we went to the amusement park together; and then finally when you were trying to decide what you were going to do with your life." She said, coming to a third finger. "See, I've only got three! Now what have you got?"

"Let's see…I count all of the times we spend together, doing whatever it is that catches our attention at the moment," He stated, smiling directly at her. Touko blushed profusely, her hands resting in her lap as her thumbs twiddled together. 

"Y-You mean all those insignificant, little things…Like today," She asked, looking up into his eyes. He leaned closer, his nose gently rubbing against hers in a sign of affection. 

"No time spent with you can be considered insignificant," He whispered, his fingers gently grasping her chin. Her heart stopped beating for what seemed an eternity; her breath caught in her throat as they moved slowly closer as if they were trapped in slow motion. 

A boy the same age as Touko with the same brown hair color poked his head in, phone in one hand and the other covering the receiver. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked loudly, causing the two to jump apart. Touko turned towards the door angrily, a bright red blush on her face as anger burned in her eyes. 

"Just tell me what you want Touya," She shouted, hands clenched into fists. Touya smirked, noticing the light blush on N's face as well.

"Concordia is on the phone, and she says to, quote, 'Tell Nathanial Harmonia to get his hippie hair butt back home before she and Anthea run out of ways to distract Ghetsis'," Touya said, relaying the message to them. N's face immediately returned to its normal color as he looked down at his watch, silently cursing as he saw the time. 

"It's really that late already," He murmured, jumping off the bed and rushing towards the window. Touko followed him, opening her window to allow him to a quicker escape. Touya nodded, listening to Concordia's voice on the other end. 

"Yeah, I'll tell him," He replied before covering the receiver with his hand again, "She says that you would've been dead a long time ago if Anthea hadn't decided to showcase her newest musical creation." 

"I'll have to repay her sometime in the near future…" He muttered, already standing on the windowsill, "Tell Concordia I'll be back in five minutes, ten at the latest." 

Touya nodded, heading out the door with the phone in hand. "Yeah, Concordia? He says he'll be…" 

Touko sighed, looking up at N from his perch on the window. "Why is your dad so strict with you?" 

N shrugged. "He wants me to do great things Touko; unfortunately, fun and love aren't really on the agenda towards being a great man." 

"Well…Well they should be," She shouted, stomping her foot on the floor, "You should be allowed to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want!" 

He smiled, leaning down to her level to steal a quick kiss on her lips. "Your passionate opinions are just one of your many endearing qualities Touko," He murmured, causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach as a blush spread across her face, "I'll be back when I can." He said, and before she knew it he was gone. 

Touko sighed, resting a hand over her heart as she stood by the window, watching N sprint towards his house. She smiled as he turned around and gave a small wave before turning back around and running quickly. She closed her window, her hand resting against the glass as she stared out at the sky. 

"Why is this so hard," She whispered, hand slowly sliding down the windowpane. 

"Touko and N, sittin' in a tree," Came Touya's sing-song voice from the doorway, "K-I-S-S-I-N-Whoa!" He shouted, shutting the door as a shoe came flying in his direction. "Mom said no throwing things in the house!" 

"Yeah well, mom said no teasing or obnoxious behavior too," She countered, walking over to her bed. She spread herself across it, searching for her charger on the floor. She immediately found it, plugging it into the wall and plugging her own DS into it as well. She smiled at the machine; it was one of the few ways that, when time allowed, they could still be together without being physically near each other. 

After all, they were heroes; they make the impossible possible and fight for their beliefs.


	2. Chapter 2

Touko shivered, her arms coming to wrap around her as she tried to keep warm. "M-Man, wh-when'd Twist Mountain g-get so c-c-cold," She chattered, her breath appearing in front of her as warm puffs of air. She looked around the cavern, her footing cautious as she avoided any ice that had arrived with the coming of winter.

"Alright, almost the-" She was cut off as the sound of paws slapping against the ground accompanied her echoing footsteps. She turned her head around, immediately spotting the small light blue bear loping after her. It stopped a few feet away, its head cocked to the side as it studied her.

"Choo," It growled questioningly, its nose dripping with icy mucus. It inhaled deeply, immediately sucking the substance back into its body. Touko shuddered at the action as she removed a Pokeball from her belt.

_"May be cute, but that's gross no matter what,"_ She thought, tossing the Pokeball into the air, "Come on out Dwebble!"

The hermit crab look-a-like popped out of the sphere, landing on the ground feet first, eyes roaming the cavern. "Dweb?"

"Cuboo…" The Cubchoo growled, standing up on its hind legs in an attacking stance. Dwebble noticed this, raising its claws in a menacing manner.

"Alright Dwebble, use Smack Down," Touko shouted, pointing straight at the Cubchoo. Dwebble picked up a nearby rock, immediately throwing it at the enemy. Cubchoo leapt out of the way before charging towards Dwebble, its claws glowing an eerie white.

"Cub," It cried, immediately slashing Dwebble across the face. It continued to attack, Dwebble's claws failing to block to nails from raking into its skin.

"Use Bug Bite while it's still so close," Touko shouted, her voice working to be heard over the clamor of Cubchoo's attack. Dwebble glared, its teeth immediately latching onto the oncoming paw of Cubchoo.

Cubchoo squealed in pain, ceasing its attack as it ran around in circles, waving its paw around to rid it of the immense pain. "Alright Dwebble, use Smack Down now!"

Dwebble grabbed a rock, instantly slamming it down on the Cubchoo's head. Cubchoo's eyes widened as it halted in its running, unsteadily swaying from side to side from the force of the hit. Dwebble released itself, landing a few feet away from the dazed bear.

"Now use Faint Attack," Touko cheered, pumping her fist in the air. Dwebble moved silently until suddenly it was right behind the Cubchoo. The little bear only had a nanosecond to glance back before the crab punched it across the jaw with its claw, sending it flying to the other side of the cavern. It landed with a hard _thump_ , its eyes closed as it sank into unconsciousness.

"Dwebble," The hermit crab announced, raising its claws in victory. Touko cheered alongside him, her face broken in a huge grin. Suddenly, Dwebble's body began to glow a bright white color, almost blinding Touko as she watched in amazement at the process before her.

_"No way…He's finally evolving,"_ Touko thought excitedly, her body tense with suspense as she watched it change shape and form.

* * *

"Touko, phone for you!"

The evolution immediately halted as Touko jumped, her thumb accidentally brushing against the B-button of her DS. "No! I was so close!" She screeched, staring dejectedly at her screen. Touya rolled his eyes, tossing the phone in her direction.

"Whatever…" He muttered, closing the door behind him. Touko sighed, picking up the phone that had landed in front of her.

"Hello?"

_"Oh Touko~! I'm so so so sorry about making you upset,"_ A musical voice rang out, apology practically dripping off of every word the voice spoke. Touko smiled, resting back against the headboard of her bed.

"It's no big deal Bianca; I can always just use a rare candy later on," She said, checking her nails casually, "So what's up?"

_"Huh? Oh right,"_ Bianca exclaimed, causing Touko to giggle, _"The reason why I called was because I wanted to know if you'd come to the carnival with me~!"_

Touko raised an eyebrow. "The carnival's in town? Since when?"

_"Well, a few days ago I was walking down the street after an eventful day at the store, and I saw a flyer posted on a telephone pole. And I thought 'Well that looks like fun! I should try to get Cheren and Touko and Touya to come along!' Because you know, things like a carnival aren't as fun when you're all by yourself, especially when you're our age and everyone thinks you're out looking for trou-"_

**_"For Christ's sake, will you get to the point already,"_** Exclaimed a young male's voice in the background. Touko snickered as she practically imagined Bianca giving a sweet yet deadly glare in Cheren's direction.

_"Now Cheren, it's not your turn to talk~,"_ Bianca sang, causing dark mutterings to arise from the male, _"So anyway Touko, do you want to come?"_

Touko sighed. "Well…I don't know…If I go I'll have to bring Touya, and right now he's in trouble with me for a certain prank involving water balloons and syrup."

_"Oh pretty pretty pretty please~,"_ Bianca pleaded her eyes practically boring into Touko's with a sorrowful look over the phone, _"If it's any bargaining chip, I heard N will be there~"_

Touko's face instantly took on a pink tinge. "A-And just how do you know that?"

_"Oh, well you know his sister Anthea? Well one day I was out shopping because there was this sale going on and this one shop had the most adorable little pair of shoes that I just had to have because-"_

**_"Make a long story short Bianca,"_** Cheren called out, the irritation evident in his voice as he had to listen to her prattle.

Bianca sighed on the other end. _"Well, like Cher-Bear said, to make a long story short, I met Anthea at the sale and we got into a discussion about the shoes. Next thing I know, I'm sitting in the cutest little café with her and we're giggling away like we were born together!"_

Touko smiled. "So you basically have an inside informant?"

_"Well…To put it that way, yes. But it sounds so sneaky~!"_ Bianca whined, causing Touko to imagine her stamping her foot.

Touko laughed, "Don't worry, I'll be there."

* * *

"So we're meeting where again," Touya asked, popping a large piece of pink cotton candy into his mouth. Touko turned her head to look at him, her body still moving forward as she spoke.

"They said to meet up at the Nimbasa Rollercoaster," Touko said, turning her attention back to the map, "Wherever the heck that is…"

Touya's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. " _The_ Nimbasa Rollercoaster is here?"

Touko raised an eyebrow. "Yeah why? Just another mechanical thrill ride."

Touya snorted, waving his hand dismissively as he sped up his pace. "To a mere enjoyer of the rides, it may be _just_ another rollercoaster; but to me, a connoisseur of all thrill rides of every size and shape, it is a masterpiece!"

"Oh really," Touko asked, a hint of boredom at his speech evident, "And what makes it so special?"

"Nothing much, besides the fact that you can _choose your own course while riding in the car_ ," Touya said, placing stress upon the last fact, "In all reality, you could actually spend _hours_ just riding that one ride!"

"But I'm assuming people haven't?"

"Mostly because they kinda get a little nauseous after a while."

Touko snickered, "Sounds reasonable enough. So I guess we should just look for-"

"Oh Touko~," Bianca's voice sang, immediately catching both their attention. The two turned their heads towards the direction of her voice, immediately catching sight of Bianca's large green hat. Next to her stood two others; a young male with short, black hair and glasses and a female with long pink hair in a white summer dress.

"Who's the pink chick," Touya asked in a hushed whisper as they headed towards them.

"I'm assuming that's Anthea," Touko replied in the same tone of voice. Touya stared at her incredulously.

"You've never known who's who in his family?"

"Well…I've never really seen them in the light of day, and he's never mentioned them!"

"But still, that's something you've gotta know!"

"What's something you have to know," Anthea asked, hearing them clearly when they were closer to them. Touko and Touya stiffened, both snapping their heads up to face her, their faces tinged red with embarrassment at being caught.

"O-Oh nothing!"

"Y-Yeah, just some stupid thing between us siblings!"

"Isn't it amazing how twins can practically mimic each other," Bianca whispered to Cheren, awe in her eyes. Cheren sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Bianca, it's not a twin thing; they were just whispering about something that they don't want Anthea to hear." He explained, hands shoved back into his pockets. Bianca went wide eyed, pulling away and staring at him in shock.

"No way! Really?"

He sighed. "Please don't make this any more painful than it has to be…"

Anthea smiled, a slight giggle escaping from her lips. "Really, if you're discussing me then I'm quite fine with it; after all, the mysterious sibling of a mysterious person must seem…Well, mysterious."

"Uh yeah…Hehe…" Touya said, rubbing the back of his neck. Touko just stared at the ground, her face red as her shoes kicked the dirt. Anthea smiled, her pink eyes shining with a gentle light.

"Speaking of mysterious people," She began, causing Touko to glance at her, "My brother should be awaiting your arrival at the Ferris Wheel, Touko."

"Ooh, a Ferris wheel," Bianca squealed, her hands clasped together, "How romantic~!"

"B-Bianca," Touko shouted, her face turning red. She turned her attention back to Anthea, smiling at her. "Thank you for the information. I'll head over there right now." She said, beginning to run in the direction of the ride. Anthea waved, a smile still spread upon her face.

"It was nice meeting you Touko!"

* * *

_"Ah…Almost…there…"_ Touko thought, her breath coming out in pants as she finally reached the Ferris wheel. She bent forwards, her hands resting on her knees as she scanned the area for the obvious green hair and black cap.

"Ugh…Ran all the way here, got hot and sweaty, and he's not even here," She muttered, standing up straight, "Talk about a lack of manners."

"Well then, shall I show the princess proper chivalry," A voice asked from behind her. Touko smiled, turning around to see N standing there, his hands in his pockets.

"Hmm…I dunno," She said, a finger tapping her chin in mock thought, "It'd be some stiff competition you're up against. Think you can handle it?"

He smirked, walking towards her until he was directly in front of her, "I think I can manage."

"Oh really," She asked, her eyebrow raised in question as her own smirk flit across her face. N chuckled, the smirk melting into a smile at her attitude.

"Always the independent princess, huh Touko?"

"Well somebody's got to be; otherwise you've got a bunch of blonde bimbos running the joint."

"Well, no argument there," N stated, grasping her hand as he walked towards the Ferris wheel, "But maybe, just for this ride, you can be a little dependent?"

Touko blushed lightly, smiling at his question. "Hmm…Might have to consult the royal counsel on that, but I think it can be arranged."

"Good," N said, handing the operator their tickets as Touko stepped into the carriage, "Because I wasn't going to take any other answer."

Touko giggled as N sat opposite of her in the car. The operator shut and bolted the door, making sure that it wouldn't suddenly fly open at the height of the ride. "Enjoy your ride you two," He said, pushing a button that immediately sent the two rising into the air. Touko glanced out the window, watching as the distance between the ground and they grew larger and larger with each second.

"From up here, everything looks so…small," She murmured, resting her head against her arm, "Almost makes the hustle and bustle of life seem insignificant."

N nodded, his own eyes cast out towards the horizon. "And yet, without that hustle and bustle, we wouldn't be able to enjoy views such as this as easily as we can, just by sitting in a small carriage on a never-ending wheel."

Touko looked over at him, her eyes brimming with curiosity at his statement. He chuckled, pointing towards the horizon instead of giving an answer. Touko followed the direction of his hand, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the scene before her.

"It's…It's beautiful…" She gasped, her entire being transfixed by the landscape. The sun was slowly beginning to set on the horizon, casting a light pink hue mixed with a vibrant orange across the landscape; shadows of houses, stall, rides, and people danced and mingled with each other, creating a patchwork of shades upon the slowly darkening ground. As the sun continued to set lights of all colors began to flicker on, adding a dash of ethereal aura to everything that fell in the lights path. Touko closed her eyes, allowing for her senses to soak it all in; her consciousness floating backwards in time as the intoxicating scent of summer carried her away.

* * *

_"Touko…I've gotta tell you something…" A young boy said, no older than ten at the time. His messy green bangs hung in his face, effectively hiding his green eyes from the young girl's sitting across from him. Her blue, innocent eyes were filled with curiosity, her tongue not ceasing its work on the ice cream that she held in her sticky hands._

_"What is it N," She asked, her six year old voice filled with questions. N balled his hands into fists, glancing away from her and out at the horizon instead._

_"I-I…" He stammered, eyes searching the horizon wildly before finally blurting it all out, "We can't be friends anymore!"_

_Touko cocked an eyebrow, her head tilted to the side. "Huh? Why not?"_

_"Um…Well…" N stalled for time, trying to quickly search for an answer not at all related to the truth, "Well, because we're just too different! I mean, you're a girl, and I'm a boy!"_

_"But Cheren's a boy too, and he's one of my bestest best friends ever," Touko piped up, her voice filled with a challenging authority, "So that's not a good answer at all!"_

_N bit his lip, trying to search for another argument._ "I can't tell her the truth…Can I," _He thought, his desire to tell the truth almost overpowering his previous choices, "Can I really tell her that none of this is my decision?"_

_"N," Touko's concern filled voice broke through his thoughts. He looked up only to be met with shining blue eyes; eyes filled with worry, concern, friendship, and a pure yet naïve desire to help. As he looked into those eyes, he finally came to his decision; that he must protect those eyes at all costs, even if it cost him dearly._

_"Just get away from me," He shouted, pushing her away, "I hate you!"_

* * *

The sudden jerking of the ride coming to a halt snapped Touko out of her memories, the reality of the present rushing back to her in an instant. She glanced over at N as he stared at her amusedly, completely unaware of her inner thoughts.

"For a second there I thought you had actually fallen asleep on me," He said, a vague hint of teasing in his voice. Touko smiled slightly, nodding as she swallowed to fight back the pain the memories had brought.

"Y-Yeah…" She mumbled, her eyes averting themselves back to the scenery. N raised an eyebrow, immediately noticing her change in behavior.

"What's wrong," He asked, causing her to jump slightly. She immediately looked at him, a forced smile plastered onto her face in an attempt to throw him off.

"N-Nothing, just a little bit of sleepiness I guess," She said, rubbing the back of her neck, "You know, maybe I really did just doze off there for a minute or so."

He sighed, his gaze so focused on her that she began to feel uncomfortable. "I know that you're lying Touko; tell me what's wrong."

She sighed, looking down at her lap instead. "Y-You'll think it's stupid, and it's really not a big deal…"

"Try me; I've heard some pretty stupid, insignificant things in my life."

She smiled at his comment, taking a deep breath before coming clean. "It was…I was just…remembering."

He raised an eyebrow. "Remembering what?"

She squirmed, a light pink dusting her face as she spoke. "You know…When we were younger and rode the Ferris wheel, and…yeah…"

Realization dawned on him as he finally understood what had upset her. "Why didn't you say something? You know I would've been fine with going on any other ride if this one specifically upset you."

Touko smiled at his kind words and gesture. "I wasn't thinking, or maybe I thought it wouldn't come to me…Or maybe, I was just so happy being able to see you again that it never even crossed my mind."

N nodded, watching her as she vaguely wiped at her eyes, ridding them of whatever tears they may have at the ready to fall. "Well then, allow me to make it up to you then; for the rest of the night, you'll be in charge of what goes on."

Touko looked up, surprise evident on her face. "The rest of the night? As in, from the time we get off this to when we leave?"

He shrugged. "I trust you; unless of course you're about to give me reason not to," He added, smirking at her. She huffed, cheeks puffed out indignantly at his comment.

"I am trustworthy," She stated, glaring lightly at him. He chuckled, the ride slowly reaching the station again.

"I know you are," He stated, hopping out of the car. He helped her out of the car, hand grasping her own as she hopped out as well. The two walked together, neither in any rush to go anywhere or do anything in particular.

"Hey…N," Touko began, glancing down at the ground. N turned towards her, a questioning look crossing his face as he did.

"Yes," He asked, prompting her to go on.

"Well…" She began, fiddling with her fingers as she searched for the right words, "I guess…thank you is all I can really say."

"'Thank you'?"

"Yeah…I mean, when I'm upset like back on the Ferris wheel, you try to make me feel better. And, you know, it usually works, so…thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome, Touko."

* * *

_Touko cried on her bed, her knees brought up to her chest as she buried her face in her arms and legs._ "He hates me, he hates me, he actually hates me," _She thought, the phrase running through her mind like a mantra. Each time it ran through the tears fell harder; the ache in her chest at losing a close friend made more painful with each passing second._

_She sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Oh...who needs boys anyway," She muttered, hands balled into tiny fists, "They have cooties anyway!"_

_A light tapping sound was heard outside her window, causing her to look towards it._ "What in the world…" _She thought, getting up out of bed and running towards it. When she reached it, her eyes widened in surprise before turning into a hard glare. She opened it, her eyes glaring daggers at N's own pleading ones._

_"What do you want," She spat, her arms crossed over her chest, "Come to tell me my hair is stupid too?"_

_N looked down, guilt filling his chest as he heard her words. "No…I just…I just wanted to apologize."_

_"Apologize," She repeated, her mind appalled at the thought of forgiving him, "Why should I even think about forgiving you?"_

_He looked at her, his eyes filled with hurt, practically begging her to listen; it took all she had to not hand out forgiveness right then and there. "Because what I said back there…It was because this is all so complicated, and I don't want you upset, and…and it was all just a really big misunderstanding!"_

_"Didn't want me upset," She repeated again, surprised at his choice of words, "You thought telling me that you hated me wouldn't upset me?"_

_N looked down, a shameful red tinge on his face. "I just…I just needed something effective…"_

_"Well, it was effective; now bye_ ex- _friend," She stated, putting extra stress on the –ex. Just as she was about to close the window, N tossed a black package into the room, immediately halting her actions as she stopped to catch it. Her eyes widened as she stared at the stuffed toy in her arms; its glossy yellow and red eyes staring back at her from a black fur coat._

_"You're giving me Poochyena?" She asked incredulously, staring back up at him, "But why? He's like your favorite Pokemon in the whole wide world right now!"_

_N shrugged, still staring at the ground. "Well…I figured, even if you didn't accept my apology and plea for friendship again, you could at least have Poochy to spend time with. Or…destroy," He said, practically choking on the last word. Touko's eyes softened as she stared at him, finally coming to her own decision._

_"Wait right there," She said, running into the depths of her room. N tried to see what she was doing, moving his head in all directions before finally giving up. When she returned, his own eyes widened as she shoved her own stuffed toy towards him._

_"I can't take this; you absolutely adore Torchic," He said, staring at the small orange chicken held before him. Touko looked to the side, her face slightly pink as she did so._

_"Well…I figure, if you're going to give me Poochy, then you might as well take Torch too; that way, we can still be friends even if we're not seeing each other a lot." She said shyly, her eyes darting upwards to meet N's._

_N's face broke into a huge grin as he processed what she said. "So…does this mean you forgive me, and that we're friends again?" He asked, cautiously taking the Torchic from her grasp._

_Touko nodded a small smile on her face. "Just make sure that you let me know next time when you're trying to protect me."_

_N nodded, giving her a small salute. "Will do!" He said, imitating a soldier's deep voice as he accepted her command. Touko giggled slightly, causing a chain reaction of laughter as N joined in; soon the star filled night was filled with the melody of their reunion._


	3. Chapter 3

"Ooh," Bianca moaned, stumbling as she exited the rollercoaster, "I don't feel so good…"

"Really? I feel fantastic," Touya exclaimed, jumping out of the car and jogging off the ride, "We should go again!"

"We go again, and I will personally make sure you suffer, " Cheren muttered, swaying slightly as he stood up in the car. He exited the ride pulling at the hem of his shirt, eyeing the light green stain splattered across it as well as on his shoes and pants.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it; a good washing should clean that right off," Anthea stated, gracefully falling into step beside him. Cheren looked up at her, an irritated look on his face.

"I doubt it; I've had this happen before where a certain _someone_ caused bodily fluids to land on my clothes."

Touya turned around to face them, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he walked backwards. "I'm guessing you're still mad about the whole Tilt-a-Whirl thing, huh?"

"You still haven't paid me back," Cheren simply stated, pushing his glasses up his nose as he glared at Touya. Touya gave a nervous grin before turning back around, his pace noticeably speeding up a bit to create distance between him and Cheren.

"I'm sorry Cheren," Bianca glanced at him with apologetic eyes, "I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe, promise!"

Cheren sighed, running his hand through his hair. "You idiot, this isn't your fault."

"But I'm the one that threw up!"

"Yeah, but _Touya_ was the one who made us do nothing but sidewinders and loops for _fifteen minutes straight_."

"Hey, I've got an idea," Touya shouted, trying to change the topic quickly before he was bodily harmed, "How about we go ride something else, hmm? Something a little gentle, slow paced, and fun for all!"

"Like the Merry-Go-Round," Anthea inquired, immediately beginning to look around for one. Before Touya could answer, Bianca moaned quietly, immediately causing him to rethink his answer.

"Uh…Maybe not a Merry-Go-Round," He said, glancing over at Bianca, "I don't think anyone's really ready yet to handle a seesaw motion yet."

"Hmm…Then how about the Mistralton Adventure," Anthea suggested, looking around the group, "It's just like going on a swing set, and all it does is spin you around in a nice smooth circle."

"No belly flop motions," Bianca asked, her interest in the ride rising. Anthea smiled as she nodded, causing Bianca to break out into a large grin. "Then I say let's go!"

"Alright then," Touya announced, pumping his fist into the air, "To the Mistralton Adventure!"

* * *

"Welcome to the Mistralton Adventure," A robotic voice crackled over the loudspeakers, "For your safety, please secure all loose articles. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times, and your safety belt buckled. Thank you and enjoy your ride."

"Car? What car," Cheren muttered, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, "All they gave us is a wire basket to basically cram ourselves into."

"Now don't be like that Cheren~" Bianca sang, swinging herself back and forth gently, "If you get on a ride with a sour attitude, you'll never be able to enjoy it!"

Cheren sighed, glancing over at her. "Well, at least you're feeling better." He stated, smiling slightly as she giggled and nodded her head. The ride gave a sudden jerk before slowly lifting the passengers into the air. It began to ease into its circular motion, lifting itself higher and higher into the air. From all the surrounding seats could be heard children's screams of delight and teenagers' obnoxious cheers.

_"Hmm…Definitely a kiddie ride, but it's not unbearably childish,"_ Cheren thought, his chin resting on the palm of his hand. He was facing towards the machine spinning them, waiting until the ride ended in boredom.

"Wah~ Cheren, isn't it so pretty from up here," Bianca called; wonder sparkling clearly in her eyes. Cherene glanced her way, deciding to shift in his seat so as to get a better view of the scenery.

The sun had already set on the horizon, allowing the deep purple of the night to overtake the once pastel pinks and yellows of the setting sun. Multiple stars could be seen twinkling faintly in the sky; the moon hung overhead, its luminous fullness adding to the natural light of the heavens. Down below, lights of every shade and color were lit to illuminate the darkness so that people wouldn't lose their way; it was a glittering manmade rainbow working to defeat the blanket of night and outshine the sky's jewels.

"It _is_ quite picturesque." Cheren stated, pushing his glasses up his nose. Bianca giggled, smiling as she continued to drink in the view. A gust of wind blew by, causing Bianca to suddenly shiver as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Brr," She said, rubbing her arms quickly, "Why'd it get so cold all of a sudden?"

"The weatherman did predict a cold front to move in tonight," Cheren stated, pulling the front of his jacket so that it was closed. "Also considering that we're higher in the air, the air temperature is bound to be colder than when we're closer to the ground."

"Well….I guess it's not that bad." Bianca said, smiling as she glimpsed two children on the ground chasing each other, one holding a plastic sword and the other a blow-up mallet. Another gust of wind blew again, this time stronger than the last. Bianca felt her hat beginning to slip off, prompting her to immediately grasp it and pull it down.

"Impressive reflexes," Cheren noted, having suspected her hat would blow away with the wind. Bianca smiled, her hand still grasping her hat.

"Thanks," She chirped, "I guess since this hat's really special to me, protecting it just comes second nature."

Cheren nodded, the wind blowing hair into his eyes. A faint distressed shout could be heard, causing both Bianca and Cheren to look around for the source of the noise.

"What was that," Cheren asked, suddenly tensed for disaster.

"It sounded like To-" Bianca was cut off as a baseball cap slammed into her face. It began to slide upwards, causing her to immediately grab it and examine it. "Hey, it's Touya's!"

"Well that explains the shout…" Cheren muttered, eyeing the cap. A strong wind hit them, suddenly causing Bianca's hat to fly off her head. She shrieked, turning her head to watch with wide eyes as it followed the current of the wind.

"My hat," Bianca shouted, eyes beginning to glisten. "Oh Cheren, what am I going to do? I can't lose my hat!"

"Bianca, just take a deep breath. We'll find your hat once the ride is over." Cheren said, noticing that the ride had given a jerk and was slowly descending towards the ground. Bianca looked at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"But-But…Oooh," She whined, instinctively going to grab the edge of her hat and pull it over her eyes. When she realized her head was bare, she pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Cheren sighed, his feet brushing against the ground gently. He quickly unbuckled himself, hopping off the swing easily. He stood up straight, immediately noticing that Bianca was out of her seat and running around the ride trying to find her hat.

"Bianca…" Cheren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked towards her, glancing for anything bright green in the surrounding area. He caught sight of Anthea, who seemed to also be looking for something as well. "Anthea!"

She turned towards his voice, eyes lighting up as she saw him waving her over. She jogged over to him, a smile plastered over her face. "Oh I'm so glad I found you!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded, eyes glinting happily. "Yes! When the ride was going on, Touya ended up losing his hat, and then a few seconds later he got hit with Bianca's!"

Cheren blinked in surprise, taken aback by the strange coincidence. "Is that so? Because Bianca got hit with Touya's, and she lost her hat."

"Oh wonderful," Anthea said, clapping her hands together. "I'll go get Touya, and you bring Bianca over here! Okay?"

He nodded. "Fine by me."

Anthea's smile grew even bigger, if that was possible. "Great! I'll meet you back here in a few minutes!" She said, already turning around and jogging back to wherever Touya was. Cheren nodded, turning around to see Bianca running towards him, a few tears having already escaped.

"Oh, I can't find it anywhere Cheren!" Bianca cried, her hands working to wipe away the wet spots on her cheeks. "It's gone forever and ever!"

"Bianca, no it's not." Cheren stated calmly. "In fact, Anthe-"

"What do you mean it's not? I can't find it anywhere!"

"Bian-"

"It's probably hanging somewhere in a tree!"

"Bia-"

"Or-or it landed in a game stall and some cute little girl just won it as a prize!"

"Bi-"

"Or some wild animal has it and is tearing it apart right now!"

"B-"

"Or-"

"Geez Bianca, you have a huge head!" Touya shouted, his eyes being hidden by the hat. Anthea held him by the hand, gently yet quickly leading him towards Cheren and Bianca. Bianca's eyes widened in happiness as she saw her hat.

"My hat," She screeched, bounding towards Touya. She immediately snatched it off his head, cramming his on his head and holding hers to her chest. "I'll never let you go again!"

Touya lifted the rim of his cap, staring at Bianca in a curious manner. "Uh, you're welcome…"

Bianca grinned, placing the prized possession carefully atop her head again. "Look Cheren, Toto found my hat!"

Cheren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's what I was _trying_ to tell you."

"Oh…"

"Toto," Touya whispered to Anthea confusedly. She giggled a smile on her face at Bianca's reaction to being reunited with her beloved hat.

Bianca grabbed at Cheren's arm, literally dragging him away from the ride and towards the carnival. "Come on you guys! Let's go go go!"

"H-Hey, slow down a bit! _Bianca_!"

* * *

"Mmm~" Bianca hummed, licking the top of her ice cream cone. "I just _love_ strawberry! Of course, I love vanilla too." She said, gazing at the cream colored treat underneath the pink scoop. "I wonder if I should've put the vanilla on top…"

"Who cares," Touya stated, his mouth full of hot dog and mustard, "All ends up in the same place anyway!"

"Yeah, but the complimenting flavors are so important! Would it taste better the way it is, or with vanilla on top?"

"Decisions like those make me appreciate the simple things even more," Anthea said, popping a small piece of cotton candy into her mouth. Cheren nodded in agreement as he sipped the last few drops of his soda. Bianca pouted, rolling her eyes at the comment.

"But you have to be adventurous! You can't just go all your life eating _just_ co-"

"Whoa! Check it out," Touya shouted, pointing straight ahead of them. The group turned their heads in the direction of his finger, senses being immediately hit with a brightly lit game stall. It was like any other game stall; milk bottles stacked up in a pyramid, a slightly greasy looking vendor taking money from the consumers, and multicolored stuffed animals practically falling off the shelves. The only thing that set the stall apart from others was that it seemed to have a Pokemon theme; the baseballs meant to be thrown at the milk bottles were painted red and white, while the milk bottles themselves had the label 'Moomoo Milk' printed across them. The shelves were filled with every Pokemon imaginable; it almost appeared that all six hundred and forty-five were crammed into the tiny stall.

"…Five bucks this was the first game Touko hit up," Touya stated, eyes roving over the stall. Cheren nodded, not even bothering to try and bet against him. It was an absolute known fact that when it came to Pokemon, Touko was a bit on the avid side of the fandom.

The silence between the group was broken by Bianca's sudden squealing. "Oh my gosh, they _have_ it!" She squealed, pointing directly at the stall. Instantly everyone's eyes followed her finger, eyes searching for the Pokemon she was talking about. Finally, after tirelessly searching, they found the one that had caught her attention; a pink Pokemon with red eyes that faintly resembled a pig, two purple flowers covering its hindquarters.

"You're that excited over a stuffed Munna?" Touya asked, looking over at her. Bianca nodded vigorously, her eyes shining with excitement.

"It's her favorite Pokemon," Cheren explained, pushing his glasses up on his nose. Understanding dawned on Touya's face as Bianca began to run over to the stall.

"Well welcome little lady," The vendor, wiping his brow with a dirty handkerchief, "What can I do for ya?"

"How do I win >em>that," She exclaimed, pointing directly at the Munna. The vendor chuckled, amused at her excitement.

"All you's gotta do is knock over them there Moomoo milk bottles, and she be yours!"

By the time the group had caught up to her, Bianca was already digging through her purse. "How much?"

"Two dollars for one try, five for three."

"That's highway robbery." Cheren muttered, earning a glare from the vendor. Bianca ignored him, already handing the vendor five dollars. He took it, a greedy glint appearing in his eyes.

"Thank you for your patronage little lady." He said, handing her three Pokeballs. Bianca took them, taking aim at the bottles. She pulled her arm back and released the ball, watching it sail through the air. It missed the bottles by a long shot, hitting the back of the tent and rolling harmlessly on the ground.

"Ooh…I never was good at softball," Bianca whined, pulling her hat over her eyes, "It was always Touko who pitched well!"

"Heh, and just who do you think taught her?" Touya asked, stepping up to the counter. "Step aside and I'll win that Munna for you in a flash!"

"Really Touya," Bianca exclaimed as she pushed her hat back upwards; her eyes flashing with excitement. Touya nodded, picking up the ball and taking careful aim at the bottles. He moved around every now and then, trying to reach just the perfect angle to knock them all down. When he finally found his spot, he wound up his arm before releasing a powerful pitch. The ball zoomed through the air, smacking the table and bouncing back to hit the vendor in the head. He let out a loud yelp of pain, causing Touya to immediately hide behind Bianca.

"Sorry," He shouted, poking his head out from behind her. The vendor only grumbled, rubbing the back of his head sorely. Touya cautiously stepped out from behind Bianca, letting out a silent breath of relief. He turned to Bianca as she stared longingly at the Munna above them.

"Sorry Bianca; I thought my aim improved…Guess not," He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Bianca's gaze continually went back and forth between the Munna and the final ball.

"Ooh…I don't want to go, but if I don't then I'll never get it," Bianca contemplated, pulling her hat once again over her eyes. "This is such a hard decision!"

Cheren sighed, watching Bianca as her eyes constantly darted from the Munna to the ball. "Here, let me try." He said, finally giving in. Bianca looked at him, her eyes glittering with hope.

"Really Cheren? You think you can win the Munna?" Bianca asked, awe in her voice. Cheren shrugged, walking up to the counter and picking up the ball.

"Worth a shot," He said, staring at the bottles. His eyes roamed around the stall, mind working at the speed of light for a successful strategy. He rolled the ball around in his hands, taking note of its weight and how it would affect his throwing.

_"Well, here goes nothing,"_ He thought, and immediately threw the ball. It zipped through the air, hitting the very edge of the table. It immediately bounced back; only instead of hitting the vendor it hit one of the poles supporting the tent. The pole shook but didn't fall; the ball flew in another direction, hitting one of the shelves containing several different Pokemon from all the different regions. Finally ending its journey, the ball crash landed into the bottles, immediately knocking all of them to the ground.

The vendor stood with wide eyes, mouth agape at the scenario that had just occurred. "What…How did…Uh…"

"That ball you've given us to use is practically loaded." Cheren stated, pushing his glasses up his nose. "If anyone throws it like a normal ball, they'll never make it to the bottles; they'll only end up hitting the table if they're lucky. And in order to even hit a bottle, you'd have to throw it higher than a normal ball, which would most likely throw off the person's aim and cause them to never succeed."

"I thought something was off with that ball…" Touya muttered, glancing at his hand. The vendor swallowed, still taken off guard by the series of events that took place.

"Uh…S-Sure kid…Just tell me what you want." He said, too stunned to say anything else. Cheren silently pointed at the Munna; the vendor immediately went to it and handed it off to him.

"Here Bianca," He said, handing her the Munna. Bianca squealed with delight, squeezing the life out of the toy against her chest.

"Oh thank you thank you _thank you~!"_ Bianca cheered, jumping up and down in her joy. Cheren waved his hand dismissively, acting as though it wasn't a big deal.

"Really, it was just simple mathematics and formulas. Nothing to get excited about."

"Smartypants like you _would_ say that." Touya stated, his arms crossed over his chest. Cheren sent him a slight glare, all of which ignored by Bianca. A light tinkling was heard, drawing everyone's attention towards Anthea. She pulled out the source of the noise; it was a small magenta colored phone, complete with two little phone charms of a smiling heart and strawberry.

"Oh my goodness, just look at the time," Anthea said, her hand flying to her cheek. "We need to go meet up with N and Touko now!"

"Already," Bianca whined, the Munna resting comfortably in her arms, "But I want to go enjoy the carnival some more!"

"We can always come tomorrow night Bianca," Cheren pointed out, "But right now, our top priority is making sure that Anthea and N stay out of trouble."

"Well…It _would_ be a drag if I could never see Anthea again…" Bianca thought aloud, her fingertip poised against her lips. "Alright then! Let's go meet up with N and Touko!"


	4. Chapter 4

The street lights shone brightly, practically blocking out the glittering gems in the sky. Multiple halos of protection against the shadows lined the sidewalk, their wielders standing at the ready in an eternal straight line. It was almost as if they stood in respect of the moderate sized group of friends walking down their lane; laughter and joy resounding throughout the silent neighborhood.

"We should come back tomorrow!" Bianca announced, trying to balance her Munna on her head. "I heard that there's this _fantastic_ performance group that travels with the carnival performing every night!"

"Oh yeah, I heard about them!" Touko exclaimed as she walked beside Bianca. In her arms she carried a large white dragon toy, its glassy blue eye reflecting the streetlights. "Aren't they called 'The Supreme Five' or 'Fantastic Four' or something?"

"'The Elite Four'," Cheren corrected, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Led by their ringleader, Alder."

Touya's eyes went wide. "No _way!_ _The_ Elite Four led by _the_ Alder is here?"

Cheren stared at him, a mixture of suspicion and annoyance becoming evident in his gaze. "Yes…I would believe that's what I just said."

"Dude! We _need_ to see them!" Touya shouted, waving his arms around. "If we don't, I think I might…I might…Well I don't know what yet, but I might do _something_ stupid and irrational!"

"Ah, so _that_ explains everything," Touko said, mock realization dawning upon her. Bianca giggled as Cheren snickered, causing Touya to pout and cast her a dirty look.

"Yeah yeah, yuck it up," He said, turning around and resting his arms behind his head, "Just remember; I've read your diary."

"Pfft, big deal," Touko said, waving her hand dismissively. "You don't have anything memorized, so you still need the book to be a threat. And now that you've announced your little plan, I'll be on the lookout."

Touya smirked. "Oh, I don't have it memorized?"

"Nope!"

Touya's smirk grew wider as he turned around to face them, clearing his throat. "Dear Diary: Today was most possibly the best day of my life," He squealed in a high voice, trying to imitate Touko's. His eyes glinted deviously as he saw Touko's jaw drop, her eyes growing wide in shock. He continued on with his recitation, having memorized this entry in particular in case of emergency embarrassment.

"Now you're probably wondering _why_ today was the best day of my life. Well, it's because today-"

"Okay that's enough," Touko shouted, slapping her hand over his mouth before he could continue.

"Aw, I wanted to hear the rest," Bianca whined, disappointment evident. Touko glared slightly at her, her face slightly tinged with pink.

"No Bianca, I really don't think you want to."

Touya took this minor distraction as a chance to pull Touko's hand away from his mouth. "Today N kissed me! And not one of those friendly pecks on the cheek either; I'm talking lip-on-lip action!"

Touko's face immediately became cherry red, her hands clenching into fists. _"Touya,"_ She screeched, lunging for him. Touya dodged her, beginning to run down the street as he shouted out the rest of her entry.

"It was _so_ magical," He shouted, speeding up as he heard Touko give chase, "We were sitting on my bed just hanging out, and all of a sudden he grabs my chin and bam! Smooch city central!"

_"I will kill you when I get my hands on you!"_

"It only lasted a bit, but boy did I just melt," Touya ignored Touko's death threat, only running faster, "My face felt like it was on fire when we pulled away! And oh my gosh, his eyes were like _twice_ as gorgeous as before; they were practically glittering gems of emotion!"

_"I will grind your bones into dust!"_

"I got to drown in them for a few seconds before he went in for the kill again! And let me tell you; this one was even better than the first! It was open mouth-but no tongue, because we're both still inexperienced-and his breath smelled so good! I just hope mine didn't smell ba- _Ack_!" Touya shouted, suddenly being tackled to the ground by a fire engine red Touko. She immediately grasped his arm and shoved it behind his back, her knee landing on it to keep it in place as she put him in a headlock.

Bianca glanced up at N, whose face closely resembled that of a tomato. "Was it really that passionately romantic Nathaniel?" She inquired, eyes glittering with the dreams of a hopeless romantic. N scratched the side of his head, finding sudden interest in the ground on the other side of the street.

"Um…Well…Uh…"

"Ooh, I just _knew_ you two were meant to be," Bianca squealed as she clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "You two are just like Marie and Pierre Curie; both have a passionate interest in a hobby and each other!"

"More like Romeo and Juliet if you ask me," Cheren muttered quietly, his musings drowned out by Bianca's squeals and Touya's beating.

"Have mercy Touko," Touya cried, beating his fist against the ground, _"I'm your own identical flesh and blood!"_

"Not until you swear to never utter those words again!" Touko growled, kneeling on his arm even harder. "And you better tell me _all_ the diary entries you memorized!"

"I swear, that's the only I can recite word for word!"

"Do you _swear_?"

"Um…Uh…"

_"Touya,"_ She hissed, tightening her hold on his head, "What. Other. Ones?"

"J-Just the one…with you…N…home…making out…" He choked out, face beginning to turn slightly purple. Touko's eyes widened as her face was on the verge of explosion.

"You memorized that one too," She screeched, immediately releasing his head from the choke hold. He gasped, coughing and spluttering as she instantly flipped him on his back.

"I-I'm just making sure no one's harming my twin, that's all," Touya shouted, hands blocking his face.

"Oh, I'll _show_ your harming of a twin," Touko growled, grasping the collar of his jacket.

"Alright, that is _enough_ ," A voice shouted, their yellow slippers entering both Touya and Touko's view. The two stopped immediately, traveling upwards from the shoes to see who was speaking. A young girl with blonde hair sticking up in strange places, the same age as Anthea, stood before them; her arms crossed over her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Um…I'm guessing you're Concordia," Touko asked, a sheepish grin on her face. Concordia scowled down at her, her strapless white summer dress and blonde hair blowing in the gentle breeze.

"Yes, yes I am." She said, immediately walking around the two to stand in front of the group. "And you two," She said, immediately pointing at Anthea and N, "Are five minutes late from our agreed meeting time!"

"But we were five minutes early the last time." Anthea noted as a smile lit up her face. "Surely that makes up for it, right?"

"Nope," Concordia stated, pushing past Cheren and Bianca without a second glance, "Now get your butts moving this instant or so help me, things will get ugly real quick."

"Like you without coffee after having just woken up," N asked innocently. Giggles and snickers erupted amongst them all, causing a vein to pop in Concordia's head.

"Just for that, you get the ear," Concordia said, immediately grabbing N by the ear and dragging him down the street. He yelped as he was forced to crouch down at an awkward angle, basically having to hop after Concordia. Anthea blinked, surprised that she wasn't being dragged along as well, before quickly falling into step behind Concordia and N. She turned around, giving a small wave and smile to everyone as she walked.

"Bye-bye," She called out, following Concordia and N around the corner. It took them a good couple of minutes to process the events that had taken place before any of them could speak.

"So…" Touya began, his head dangling just inches from the ground. "That Concordia is one piece of work, huh?"

"From the way Anthea acted," Cheren said, still staring at the corner that the siblings had turned, "I had imagined a completely different person."

"Well, Anthea _did_ mention that Concordia was just a little bit of a stickler when it came to being on time." Bianca muttered as she twiddled her fingers.

"A _little_ ," Touko asked, getting up from her position above Touya, "Try super OCD."

"Oh, don't say that! You could hurt her feelings!"

"I think N is suffering a bit more now than her feelings are." Touya muttered, getting up off the ground with the help of Touko. He dusted himself off, checking for any rips in his clothes.

Bianca looked down at the ground, her fingers continually chasing each other in a nervous dance. Touko scratched the back of her head, noticing how a sudden awkward air had come upon the group.

"So…Tomorrow, we go see the Elite Four," She suggested, trying to bring the topic back to what it was before the fighting, "I can always buy a tape and give it to them so that they get to see it too."

"Oh that's a wonderful idea," Bianca said, clasping her hands together. Cheren shrugged, not truly caring either way about what was to be done. Touya pumped his fist in the air, excitement coursing through his veins.

"Alright," He cheered, jumping up and down, "Now I can get my Elite Four poster signed by the _actual_ Elite Four! This is gonna be great!"

* * *

"I'm sorry, ow, please let go, ow, this is really uncomfortable, ow, ow, _ow_ ," N apologized repeatedly, head at an awkward angle as he hopped behind Concordia. She gazed back at him, blue eyes blazing with irritation.

"…You're lucky I'm a kind and compassionate person." Concordia replied, immediately releasing him. N sighed, standing up straight as he rubbed both the back of his neck and the side of his ear. Anthea walked quietly beside Concordia, her eyes never leaving her sister.

"I really am sorry for making you upset Concordia." Anthea said, eyes filled with remorse, "We were just having so much fun, and we just wanted to let the moment last."

Concordia sighed, her eyes turning to look at Anthea. "I know, and I understand," She whispered quietly, arms crossed over her chest, "But you know I give you guys specific times so that you guys can be protected. I just…Don't want anything to happen, that's all." She finished quietly, her eyes cast towards the ground.

Anthea nodded, her own head bowed. "I know, and I should have been more attentive to the time. But oh Concordia, it was so much _fun_ ," She exclaimed, clasping her hands together, "We rode a rollercoaster, played carnival games, and just had fun! And N got to spend time with Touko!"

"That wild child," Concordia asked, eyebrows having risen in surprise. When Anthea nodded, she turned her head upwards to look at N as he walked behind her.

"Well…Just as long as you keep _some_ sort of civility about you," She said, returning her head to its normal position, "Other than that, as long as she makes you happy then I approve."

"Good, because I was planning on disobeying you anyway."

Concordia's eyebrow twitched as Anthea giggled. "Another smart remark like that and you'll get the ear again."

N rolled his eyes, hands buried in his pockets. "Threaten as much as you want, I know you only do it because you care."

"I _especially_ do it because I care," Concordia corrected, "If I didn't care, you'd probably be some bum on the street asking for spare change."

"Whatever you say Concordia," N muttered, deciding that it was a losing argument on his behalf. Concordia smirked in triumph, picking up the pace as they approached the secret entrance to their property. Concordia, pulled the bushes aside, creating an opening large enough for all of them to sneak back through.

"Alright, now hurry on in and be _quiet_ about it," Concordia snapped, ushering N and Anthea in. N crawled in first, moving quickly to allow them both ample time to make it back. He began to jog, turning around to watch as Anthea crawled through the hole, closely followed by Concordia.

"Last one there has to pay off anybody who sees tonight," N calls out quietly, immediately jogging quickly back to their house. Anthea giggled, picking up the skirt of her dress and running after him. Concordia scrambled to get up, running as quickly as possible after them.

"Hey, wait for me," She shouted quietly, taking long strides after them. Anthea and N chuckled as she finally caught up. The small group quickly made their way towards their giant mansion; a home that was so large that no one couldn't walk by without thinking a man of great power lived there. Guards would continually patrol the borders, though it usually took them a fairly good amount of time to reach their entrance to the outside world. They mostly guarded the front of the cage; not really to keep people out, since the Harmonia family was a particularly well-known upper class family. Rather, they worked to keep people in, particularly the three that just returned.

But even the dainty canaries want to mingle with the sparrows from time to time; so they found a way out, and have used it to spread their wings and soar.


	5. Chapter 5

"Excuse me~" Bianca sang out, trying to move her way through the crowded aisle. Her manners were practically drowned out though by the merry sounds of a tent filled with thousands of people. She finally reached her seat, giving a sigh of relief.

"I thought I'd never get back," She cried out, the back of her hand against her forehead. Cheren sighed at her melodramatic behavior while Touko chuckled at both of her friends' antics. Bianca smiled, opening her eyes and looking around the tent.

"Wow," She exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement, "This tent is _so_ huge!"

"Well that's cuz most of the population is too!" Touya announced, his arms loaded with every carnival snack imaginable.

"Says the kid carrying enough snacks to feed Africa," Cheren muttered, causing Touko to giggle and snicker. Touya pouted, plopping down right next to him.

"Hey, I wouldn't be so mean to the guy who bought you food," Touya said, shoving a bag of popcorn into Cheren's face. Cheren leaned back slightly to avoid getting butter into his eyes, taking the bag out of his hands.

"Oh oh, Touya did you get my big pretzel?" Bianca asked, leaning forward so that her head appeared between Cheren and Touya's heads. Touya wiggled his items around, finally obtaining the pretzel and handing it to her. "Thank you~!"

"Sure thing Bianca," Touya said, rummaging through the snacks, "And Touko, here's your cotton candy!" He said, handing it over to her. Touko leaned over and grabbed it, plucking a piece almost immediately.

"Thanks Touya," She said, mouth filled with the sweet pink fluff. Touya nodded, already having dug into his chili cheese dog. Suddenly the lights in the tent went out, causing a hush to grow over the crowd. A single bright spotlight appeared in the center of the tent, allowing for the man in the center of the tent to appear. The spotlight cast a strange blue hue to the spikes of his hair.

"Is that Alder," Cheren whispered, pointing towards the man. Touya shook his head, swallowing his food.

"No way," He said, glancing over at Cheren, "I have a poster of the Elite Four, and that is _definitely_ not Alder."

"Well then who is he," Cheren asked. Just as Touya was about to answer, the man in the center began his welcoming speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He announced, his arms flourishing his large yellow scarf as he spread them wide, "I am Grimsley of the Elite Four, and I welcome you to our humble presentation! With us tonight are Caitlin, the master of mystics, and Shauntal, the illusionist extraordinaire!"

A loud _pop_ off to the side of the arena drew everyone's attention away from Grimsley. Another spotlight focused on the area, revealing purple and pink smoke to be rising into the air. Once it had cleared, two women were revealed to be standing side by side; one had long wavy blonde hair, the tips of which were tied with light pink bows. This woman wore a white hat on her head and a white coat over her pink dress. The other woman had purple eyes hidden behind large glasses, her face framed by short purple hair. Around her neck was a large, black bow looking item with a red clip in the middle. Her dress was short and purple, with black buttons on the front and black cloth covering the top of the skirt of the dress. Her hands were encased in black gloves, while her legs were in black stockings.

"And of course," Grimsely continued, gesturing to another corner of the tent, "We cannot forget our fearless acrobat, Marshal!"

A spotlight immediately flew upwards, causing everyone to crane their heads upwards. Gasps of surprise and wonder were immediately heard as they saw a muscular dark skinned male with bright blond hair balancing on the high wire on a unicycle. He gave a little wave to the crowd, a feat that should have been difficult considering that he was also carrying a large amount of weights across his back. He continued to ride across the wire, baggy yellow pants amazingly not getting caught in anything as he finally reached the other side. The crowd burst into applause as he stepped off, giving a small bow to the crowd.

Grimsley clapped as well, working to turn the attention back to him. "Finally, without further ado, we shall now-"

"Introduce the _real_ Grimsley," Came a voice from the shadows. A murmur ran through the crowd as a spotlight came on, revealing a second Grimsley. He smirked, flicking his scarf to the side as he approached the first Grimsley.

"Really Alder, I'm more than happy to give you lessons on being as suave and debonair as I." Grimsley said, his hand gesturing towards himself as he spoke. The first Grimsley rolled his eyes at the others actions.

"Really Grimsley, don't need any lessons from you," He said, placing a hand on his shoulders. "But I'll let you know right away when I want to practice being a high and mighty snob!"

The crowd burst into laughter, causing the first Grimsley to break out into a grin. The second Grimsley rolled his eyes, turning towards Caitlin and Shauntal.

"Caitlin, Shauntal; if you would please be so kind," He said, gesturing towards the fake Grimsley. Caitlin nodded, raising her hands towards the other Grimsley as her eyes closed. Shauntal pulled out little pink and purple balls, tossing them and immediately snapping her fingers. Instantly, the fake Grimsley became enshrouded in smoke; the crowd watched with baited breath to see the man behind the mask. As the smoke cleared, a rugged looking man with fiery red and orange hair pulled back into a ponytail appeared; jagged white pants and a poncho being the clothes he wore. He coughed, waving his hand around to help clear the smoke.

"Geez, it's amazing I don't get violently ill from that stuff," Alder gave a final cough, finally able to breathe fresh air, "I mean, that stuff smells just plain _awful!"_

"It's not meant to smell good Alder." Shauntal said, her arms crossed over her chest. Alder waved his hand dismissively, a grin on his face.

"Yeah yeah; told me once, you've told me a thousand and one times before!" Alder said before turning to the crowd. "But we're not here to hear that are we?"

"Heck no," Touya shouted with the rest of the crowd, waving his dog in the air. Cheren leaned towards Touko, staring at him with slight disgust as chili and cheese went flying. He looked over at Touko, mouthing a silent plea to help him. Touko looked at him apologetically, mouthing an apology before turning her attention back to the ring.

"Tonight, we will start off with our very own daredevil, Marshal!" Alder announced, gesturing upwards to Marshal on the platform; the rest of the group had left the ring as the show began. "But before we do, I just want everyone to know that he is a highly trained professional. So kids, don't try this at home because then your parents will get mad at me; parents, don't try this at home either because then I'll be obligated to raise your kids carnival style."

The crowd collectively chuckled, causing Alder to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "No seriously, I am; how do you think I got a snob like Grimsley to work for me?"

"I heard that," Grimsley called out from backstage, causing more chuckles to burst from the crowd. Alder blew a kiss in the direction of Grimsley's voice, causing full blown laughter in the crowd.

"Now, without further ado; Marshal," Alder announced, jogging out of the ring. The spotlight swiftly moved to focus on Marshal, who was already back on his unicycle. He cycled out onto the wire carefully, one arm extended to help keep his balance. Once he reached the center of the wire he jumped up with the unicycle, the wheel spinning underneath him. He landed back on the wire, carefully working to keep his balance again. Marshal then jumped off of the unicycle, flipping in the air so that his hands were on the pedals and his feet were in the air.

"Whoa," Touko whispered, eyes glued to Marshal as he pedaled back and forth on the wire. Bianca peeked out from under her hat, eyes drawn towards the scene like those of a spectator of a horrible crash.

"Ooh…I can barely stand to watch it," She whined, hiding underneath her hat again, "I hope he doesn't get hurt!"

"You worry too much Bianca," Touya said, turning around to look at her, "This guy is a trained professional! He's not gonna make stupid rookie mistakes like falling!"

"Which would ultimately result in dying," Cheren pointed out, popping popcorn into his mouth. Touya rolled his eyes as Bianca gave a low whine, turning back around to watch the show.

Marshal jumped up again, this time one hand landing on the seat of the unicycle as the other stayed out in mid air. He carefully moved the free hand towards his shirt pocket, pulling out three large colorful balls. He tossed them into the air one at a time, his feet instantly catching them and beginning to juggle them for the crowd. He lowered both hands back to the pedals, both feet still working to keep the balls in the air. The crowd cheered at the spectacle, amazed that he hadn't already fallen to his death. After a while Marshal gave a large push, pushing himself into the air and flipping around so that he was back to his original position on the unicycle. He picked up where his feet left off, juggling the balls with his hands as he rode towards the other side of the wire. Once he reached the other platform, he hopped off the unicycle and caught the balls, pocketing them as the crowd erupted into applause. He bowed before heading towards the ladder leading down to the ground.

"Wasn't he fantastic," Alder's voice boomed throughout the tent; yet his body was nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked around, confused as to where the sound was coming from.

"Oh! How inconsiderate of me," He apologized, realizing that he couldn't be seen. He immediately appeared in the center of the ring, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I forgot that Shauntal did that," He said, looking around at the crowd, "Speaking of which, here comes our next act; Shauntal!"

The crowd gasped as Alder suddenly vanished to be replaced by Shauntal. She curtsied slightly, pushing her glasses up her nose when she came up. "Good evening; I am Shauntal and I will be your entertainment for tonight. Tonight, you shall view the dance of the dragons; it is an illusion with an experience that differs from person to person. None of what you are about to experience is real, so please do not become panicked."

A murmur ran through the crowd, the air heavy with anticipation. Shauntal smiled, pulling out a couple of black smoke balls. "Then, without further ado," She said before tossing them harshly to the ground, the entire tent becoming filled with the black and white smoke.

_"Man, Alder's right,"_ Touko thought, coughing as the smoke filled up the air, _"This stuff_ does _smell bad."_ She looked around, trying to see if she could see any of her friends through the smoke. All around her, black dust clouds filled her vision, making it impossible to see any further than her own personal bubble.

"Guys? Hey guys," She called out, still looking around. She suddenly noticed she was standing; something that had not been a fact before. As soon as she noticed this fact, a great gust of wind burst through the area, the dust clearing out as quickly as it had filled the air. She closed her eyes, trying to protect them from any debris that may be floating within the air. When the wind had died down she opened her eyes carefully, only for them to widen to the size of dinner plates as her mouth hung open.

_"N…No way…"_ She thought, staring around the room. She was in an enormous golden hall, crystal chandeliers and golden lamps glittering all around her. She took a step forward and instantly noticed something was off; there was a rustle and clack when there should have been none. She looked down, gasping as she drank in her appearance.

"This is…" She trailed off, completely at a loss for words. Her dress was snow white, the edges of the puffed skirt jagged. Two large white rings surrounded her skirt, seemingly unattached to her body; the bodice of her dress flare at with a feather like appearance, matching the arm bands that started at her elbows. She decided to check for any other accessories, feeling her neck and the top of her head as well. Around her neck were two white rings, a chiffon cloth coming out of the bottom ring and attaching itself to the top of her bodice; her hair was tied into its usual ponytail , the exception being that instead of a hair tie it was a white ribbon instead.

She looked around the ballroom, still too stunned by everything to be able to speak properly. _"Geez, with all this stuff I feel like some kind of-"_

"A princess," Inquired an all too familiar voice. Touko's eyes widened as she quickly turned around, only to be met by the amused twinkle in warm green eyes. 

"N…" She breathed, her mind shutting down as he walked towards her. He was dressed in a black suit, the coat flaring out at the edges. He wore shiny light blue boots, strangely complimenting the outfit instead of making it a horrible design flaw. "How…When…" 

"How did I know what you were thinking," He asked, grasping her by the hand, "Lucky guess; after all, you're in a sparkling ballroom and you're dressed like royalty. Who wouldn't think that?" 

She swallowed, nodding as she watched his every move. "As for when I got here, well," He bent down and kissed her hand, causing a blush to paint itself across her cheeks, "Shauntal _did_ say it would differ from person to person." 

She blinked, her brain trying to process his response to her questions. _"All of this…all of this is Shauntal,"_ She thought, too stunned to speak what she was thinking. N smiled at her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he pulled her close to him. She blushed, placing a hand on his shoulder almost instinctively as they began to dance to a tune that seemed to have been playing in the background this whole time. They spun and twirled for what seemed like hours, yet Touko never felt dizzy or bored. All she could do is stare at the man before her with shining eyes; the look of utter bliss on his face causing her to slip into an almost trancelike state. 

_"If only…"_ She thought, resting her head against his chest. N rested his head against hers, slightly nuzzling her hair in an affectionate way. She closed her eyes; soaking up the moment for all that it was worth. The next thing she knew she was gliding along the floor instead of dancing; a cold yet refreshing wind blew through her, causing her to shiver. Touko opened her eyes, taken aback as the surroundings had changed to those of a winter forest. 

"What the…" She began, looking down at her feet to see that she was skating across a lake. N skated up beside her, a smile on his face as he took her by the hand. 

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings love," N said, skating alongside her; her hand held in his, "You'd have noticed the blue smoke coming through." 

"Blue smoke," She asked confusion evident in both her voice and eyes. She quickly looked around the area; sure enough, a few blue dust clouds were clearing away from the air. N chuckled, skating in front of her so that he could lead her across the lake. 

"Really, you're obliviousness is one of your more endearing qualities," He said, spinning her so that her back was against his chest, "It makes you far more adorable than need be." 

She blushed at his comment, the snowflakes melting against her burning cheeks. N chuckled, turning her head upwards so that she was staring directly at him. Touko's breathing quickened as he leaned inwards, her eyes instinctively closing as his nose brushed against hers. 

A roar of unparalleled rage caused Touko's eyes to snap open, followed by a sudden blast of heat. She quickly whipped her head around, noticing that the area changed from a snowy forest to a fiery cave; magma flowing like rivers along the floor, flames shooting up out of the ground. 

_"Wh…What is this,"_ Touko wondered, backing away slowly. She looked around the area, no sign of N anywhere at all. Her back suddenly collided against something hard, causing her to gasp and turn around quickly. There stood what appeared to be an older version of N; hair was a lighter shade of green, and eyes burned fiery red as he stared at her. 

"Gh…Ghetsis…" She stammered, backing away from him. He growled, hands flexed as if they were claws ready to tear into her vulnerable flesh. His glare became harsher before he suddenly lunged at her, hands outstretched to tighten around her bare neck. 

_"Stay away from him,"_ Was all Touko heard as she screamed, her arms instinctively raising themselves to block any of his attacks. A white smoke suddenly blew through the air, banishing any signs of Ghetsis or the cave to another world as she suddenly passed out. 

Cheers and applause snapped Touko out of her illusion, causing her to whip her head back and forth. Touya was standing up, whistling and cheering insanely along with the rest of the crowd. Cheren sat calmly, cleaning his glasses of any smoke residue. Bianca was sitting there dazedly, a blissful look on her face as she sat there. 

_"Was mine the only one like that…"_ Touko wondered, her hand held over her chest. Her heart was still beating rapidly, and her breathing had yet to even out. Touya sat back down, a stupid grin plastered on his face. 

"Man that was awesome huh?" He shouted, leaning over to look at everyone. Bianca nodded, the blissful expression still on her face. Cheren placed his glasses back on his face, pushing them back up his nose. 

"That smoke she used was probably just some hallucinogenic," Cheren stated, crossing his arms over his chest. Touya rolled his eyes, his gaze focusing on Touko instead. 

"What'd you think sis?" 

"O-Oh, I thought it w-was pretty g-good…" She stuttered, still having not recovered from the experience. Touya blinked, noticing that something was off about her. 

"You okay Touko? You look kinda pale and…well, just not well." He said, concern completely evident in his voice. Touko's head snapped up, a strained smile on her face as she waved her hands in front of her. 

"Really, I'm fine," She said as she began to stand up, "I-I'm just going to go get a drink and some fresh air." 

"Hmm," Bianca suddenly snapped out of her trance as she noticed Touko standing up, "But you'll miss the next act!" 

"Well, you guys can tell me all about it later." Touko said as she began to jog down the stairs. "Now you all behave while I'm gone!" 

"Well…okay…" Bianca said, her chin resting on her knuckles again. Touko quickly made her way to the bottom of the stairs before breaking into a sprint towards the exit. She looked behind her to make sure no one was following her; immediately upon turning her head she ran into someone at the exit. 

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry," Touko said, looking up at the person. She gasped as she saw it was Caitlin, a bored look on her face. 

"Next time, you should watch where you're going," She said, brushing past her and walking towards the ring. She stopped though, turning to look back at Touko. Touko fidgeted, feeling uncomfortable at the woman's gaze. 

"Um…Y-Yes," She asked, feeling suddenly self conscious about what had happened before. 

"If you are feeling unwell due to the performance, then go see Shauntal," Caitlin stated, turning back around, "Also Touko...Be careful." 

Touko's eyes widened. "C-Careful?" 

She nodded. "I see things…Things that could potentially work against you and your…desires." 

Touko swallowed, suddenly feeling weaker than before. "I-I will…Thank you, Caitlin." 

Caitlin nodded, walking towards the entrance of the ring. Touko exited the tent and walked a few feet away, the roar of the crowd clearly audible as Caitlin appeared. She staggered slightly; the ill feeling from before washing over her in waves. She groaned, looking around and trying to spot a bench where she could just sit and calm herself down. 

"Touko," A voice called out, causing her to turn her head quickly. She moaned slightly as the motion made her head spin slightly, causing her to quickly grasp her head to stop the world from spinning. Once the person got closer, she realized that the person who called out her name was Shauntal. 

"H-How do you…" 

"Caitlin told me," Shauntal stated, taking her by the arm and leading her towards the bench, "Really, I do apologize for this; I hadn't meant for you to become so ill." 

"I-It's not your fault though," She said, placing herself gently on the bench, "You were just doing your job." 

Shauntal sat besides her, digging through a small bag she was carrying. "I know; but that doesn't stop me from feeling absolutely horrible about it." She said, pulling out a medium sized gray pill. "Here, take this." She said, placing it in Touko's hand. 

"Wh-What is it," She asked, staring at the pill in her hand. Shauntal smiled, pushing her glasses up her nose. 

"It's a medicine I created to counteract any after effects of my illusions," She explained, "Once you take it, you should feel well enough to make it to the end of Caitlin's part." 

Touko looked at her suspiciously before finally swallowing the pill. Instantly she felt better, the sickly feeling she felt before vanishing almost completely. "Wow!" 

"Works like a charm, doesn't it?" Shauntal said, beaming with pride at her creation. Touko nodded, still completely amazed at feeling instantly better. Shauntal stood up, brushing the front of her dress off. 

"Well, I hope you enjoyed the show despite this mishap," She said, bowing slightly, "Again, I do apologize." 

Touko waved her hand, a sheepish grin on her face. "Really, you were just doing your job. I just…had a bad response to it is all." 

She nodded, beginning to walk back towards the tent. "I hope you enjoy the rest of the show!"

Touko nodded, still sitting on the bench as she watched Shauntal disappear. Once she was sure that she felt completely better, she stood up, noticing that there was no dizziness upon standing or any sickly feeling. She quickly headed back into the tent, her mouth dropping open and eyes widening as she saw the sight before her. 

Caitlin stood in the center of the ring, her arms outstretched as she focused her powers. Balls were spinning in circles in the air, going through hoops and intricate air patterns the entire time. Ribbons flew through the air, getting close enough to the audience that they could reach out and touch them. Caitlin raised her arms in the air, causing everything in the air to fly towards the center of the ring. All the ribbons flew together, weaving all around each other to ultimately create a large bow in the air. The balls zoomed towards each other, slamming into each other and exploding; causing glitter and confetti to sprinkle through the air. The audience watched in awe and broke into applause; the simplistic beauty of the performance enhanced by the fact that it was done all telekinetically. Caitlin bowed a small smile on her face as it ended. Touko quickly jogged back up to her seat, just in time to see Bianca and Touya cheering loudly. 

"Oh Toto-chi, you missed it," Bianca said, eyes sparkling in awe, "Caitlin had the most wonderful performance so far tonight!" 

"Don't worry, I caught the end of it," Touko said, sitting back down in her seat. Bianca smiled, turning her attention back to the center of the ring as Alder came back in. 

"Wasn't she fantastic," Alder said, gesturing to Caitlin's retreating form, "But of course, we must introduce our final act of the night! Introducing our amazing hypnotist, Grimsley!" 

The audience applauded as Alder left the ring to be replaced by Grimsley. He bowed multiple times before raising his hand to silence the audience. "For my performance, I will need just a few volunteers. Who here would be will-" 

"Me! Pick me, pick _me_ ," Touya shouted, standing up and waving his arms around. Cheren sighed and Touko slapped her palm against her face in embarrassment, inwardly groaning. 

Grimsley chuckled, motioning for Touya to come down. "Well, I see I have one enthusiastic volunteer. Would anyone else like to?" 

"Ooh…I will," Bianca announced, standing up and raising her hand. Grimsley smiled as the spotlight shone on her as well. 

"Well then, why don't both of you come on down?" 

"Alright," They cheered, high fiving each other. They walked quickly down the stairs, the spotlight following them as they entered the ring. They walked over to Grimsley, the audience applauding them for volunteering. 

"Now then, who should I have go first," Grimsley wondered aloud, circling Touya and Bianca slowly; eyeing them almost as if they were prize pigs up for slaughter. 

"I'll go first," Touya announced, raising his hand. Grimsley smirked, pulling him away from Bianca's side. 

"You've got spunk," He said, eyeing him carefully, "What's your name kid?" 

"Touya." 

"Well Touya, I'm going to use this watch here to send you into a trance," Grimsley said, pulling out a gold pocket watch, "Once in that trance, you will be completely under my control. Do you understand?" 

Touya nodded, giving him an army salute. "Yes sir!" 

He smirked. "Good boy. Now, just watch the watch," He said, slowly swinging the watch back and forth. Touya's eyes followed the watch; slowly his eyelids began to droop as a glazed look overcame his eyes. 

"Now Touya," Grimsley began, the watch still swinging back and forth, "When I snap my fingers, you will fall into a deep sleep." 

Touya barely nodded, his eyes still following the watch. Grimsley immediately snapped his fingers, causing Touya's eyes to shut completely. Grimsley put the watch away, leaning in to Touya to whisper something in to his ear. Once done, he pulled away and turned towards the audience, gesturing towards Touya. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, my enthusiastic assistant here as now fallen into a deep trance," He began, "I have given him instructions on what shall occur when I give certain signals. What I am about to do may be completely and utterly embarrassing to him; so any siblings or friends who want to use this as blackmail, you should be taking your recording devices out now." 

"Done and done," Cheren muttered, pulling his phone out to record the moment. 

"When I clap my hands, Touya shall act...as a ballerina," Grimsley announced, clapping his hands loudly. Touya's head instantly shot up, his feet instantly arranging themselves into the first position of ballet. He then began to leap and twirl, dancing on the tips of his toes the entire time. His arms made graceful circles as he danced; he ended his dance by crouching down to the ground in a resting position. The audience applauded, a good majority of the audience laughing as well. Grimsley chuckled, snapping his fingers to end the trance. 

Touya immediately jerked upwards, head whipping around confusedly. "Whoa…What just happened?" 

"Nothing my dear boy," Grimsley said, placing a hand on his shoulder as he rose, "You were just a volunteer is all." 

"Oh yeah…Was I any good?" 

Grimsley smirked. "You were fantastic." 

Touya grinned, giving him a thumbs up. "That's great!" 

"Me next, me next," Bianca said, bouncing up and down. Grimsley chuckled, walking over to her. 

"Patience my dear," He said, grasping her chin to stop her bouncing, "You'll be next to perform soon enough." 

Bianca blushed, nodding quickly at his words. Cheren's eye twitched slightly as Touko shivered at Grimsley's actions. 

_"That's just plain creepy,"_ They both thought as Grimsley pulled out the watch again. He began to swing it back and forth, Bianca's eyes obediently following its movements. Within a few moments Bianca's eyelids were drooping, the familiar glazed look coming over her eyes. 

"Now Bianca, once I snap my fingers, you will fall into a deep trance," Grimsley said, the watch still swinging back and forth. Bianca seemingly ignored his command, her eyes still following the watch. Grimsley snapped his fingers, causing Bianca's eyes to immediately shut close. Grimsley quickly leaned in to her ear, whispering his new instructions to her; he then turned towards the audience, his arms gestured towards Bianca. 

"Now as you can see, my subject is sound asleep," He said, his hands waving in Bianca's direction, "And now, once I clap my hands together, she shall be obligated to act as her favorite animal!" 

Cheren groaned lowly. "Oh no…" 

Touko turned towards Cheren. "What's up?" 

"You know how he said to act as her favorite animal?" 

Grimsley quickly clapped his hands together; Bianca's head jerked up, her hands held up to her chest as pants escaped her mouth. "Woof! Woof!" 

Touko looked out at Bianca. "So her favorite animal is a dog?" 

Bianca suddenly rubbed her hand against her face, her tongue coming out to lick the back of her hand. A loud purr escaped her lips as she went back to rubbing her face against her hand. 

Touko blinked. "A…cat?" 

Cheren sighed. "She doesn't _have_ a favorite animal per say." 

"She doesn't?" 

Bianca laid down in the ring, rolling around on the floor and letting out squeals similar to that of a pig. The crowd roared with laughter as she continued to follow Grimsley's orders. 

"No," He said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "She loves _all_ animals too much to pick a favorite." 

__"…Oh."_ _

__"Well then…" Grimsley said, watching as Bianca began to dig into the ground, "I think this concludes our act for today." He said, snapping his fingers. Bianca's head jerked up again, looking around the area dazedly._ _

__"What…Oh my, I don't remember a thing," Bianca exclaimed. Grimsley helped her up, chuckling as she dusted herself off._ _

__"Well dear, you were a perfect volunteer." Grimsley said, smiling at her. "Now come, both of you take a bow with me!"_ _

__"Really," Touya exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement. Grimsley chuckled, taking Touya and Bianca's hands in his. He raised them high above their heads, swinging them down to the ground in a grand bow. The audience cheered and applauded some still laughing at the previous performances. Grimsley released their hands, allowing them both to head back to their seats. Alder clapped as he came out into the ring, chuckling to himself as well._ _

__"Well, I think that was a successful act, don't you?" Alder asked, a hand cupping his ear as he waited for a response. The crowd cheered and applauded wildly, the more enthusiastic ones jumping up and down._ _

__"Wow! Now that's what I like to hear," Alder grinned, "Thank you all for coming out! If you have any questions or desires for autographs, please come on down to the ring! We'll get you what you need as soon as possible! May we meet again!"_ _

__The crowd continued to cheer as the rest of the Elite Four appeared, taking one final bow as a group. Touya grabbed Touko by the shoulder, pulling her to him excitedly._ _

"Touko, Touko, we have _got_ to get an autograph!" 

__Touko sighed. "Alright alright, just cool your jets!"_ _

__"Yes," Touya cheered, pumping his fist in the air, "Come on guys, we better hurry!" Touya shouted, running down the stairs._ _

__"Coming," Bianca sang out, following Touya quickly. Cheren rolled his eyes, following after them as quickly as he could. Touko walked after them, her hands in her pockets as she stared up at the tent's ceiling._ _

_"She said 'Be careful'….But be careful of what?"_


	6. Chapter 6

"Wow," Touko said, eyes wide with awe as she looked out at the sea, "This place is absolutely _gorgeous!"_

It was early morning when Touko had walked into the quaint seaside town. The sun was slowly rising above the water, causing the sea to glimmer with a thousand refractory diamonds. Wingull were lazily drifting over the ocean, calling to each other as they spotted food for their breakfast. The sky was casting off the purple haze of the night; the clear cerulean of the day was signaling the rest of the world to wake up.

Touko looked around, her feet shuffling through the sand. "I guess I should find out more about this place," She thought aloud, arms crossing behind her head, "Find out if there's any great adventures to be had or totally crazy Pokemon to catch."

She spotted a small cottage on the rocks, the door facing out against the sea. "Perfect," She shouted, running towards the house. Once she reached the front door she knocked, trying to get the attention of any occupants inside. The door remained closed; the house silent. Touko frowned, knocking again.

"Hello," She called out, knocking louder. There was still no answer to her inquiries.

_"Well that's strange,"_ She thought, giving the door a puzzled look, _"This early in the morning you'd think at least someone would be in bed still."_

She walked over to the window, glancing inside. The inside of the house was just like any other; a television set occupied one corner of the room while a kitchen area occupied another. Yet from what Touko could see, no one was in there; in fact, it looked like hardly anyone had lived there for a while.

"Huh," She said, placing her hands on her hips, "Guess this is a vacant house or something…" She muttered, looking around the area again. She saw there were two more houses, each one conveniently next door to the other. She walked towards the next house, ready to greet the inhabitant warmly. She gave a polite knock on the door and waited for an answer. When no one answered, her smile immediately changed back into a frown.

"Hello, anybody home," She called out, knocking louder. Again, no one gave an answer. Touko stood back, scratching her head in wonder as she stared at yet another vacant home.

_"Alright, this is just getting creepy,"_ She thought, jogging to the next house. She stared at the house, trying to decide whether to politely knock or barge in. She shrugged, walking a few steps backwards to allow her to get a running start.

_"After all, at this rate it's probably empty just like the others,"_ She thought, running full speed at the door. She jumped into the air, her leg extending itself so that her foot slammed into the door with an extreme amount of force. The door swung open, allowing Touko to fly through it and land gracefully on the floor. She straightened herself up, dusting herself off as she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

"Oh…" Came a voice from within, causing Touko to snap her head towards the voice. A young woman sat at the table, a hot cup of tea in her hands; it looked like Touko had caught her in mid sip. Touko's eyes widened in shock as she instantly recognized the woman; blonde hair, black barrettes complimenting a completely black outfit.

_"Dear Arceus, why have you forsaken me,"_ Touko gulped as the one and only Cynthia of Sinnoh stared directly back at her; her eyes seemingly boring straight into her soul.

"How…familiar…" Cynthia began, standing up and walking towards Touko, "I never expected to meet a trainer with the same eyes as that one, especially in a place like this…"

"I-Is that s-so," Touko stammered, backing up slightly as she continued to advance on her. _"Please let that be a compliment, dear Arceus and any other god-like Pokemon_ please _let that be a compliment!"_

Cynthia continued to stare at her, seemingly ignoring her question. "What's your name?"

"T-Touko."

"Touko then," She muttered; a thoughtful expression seemed to fall upon her face, "I'll be sure to remember it! I am Cynthia."

_"How could I not know your name,"_ Touko screamed in her mind, inwardly freaking out, _"You're the Sinnoh champion; famous worldwide along with the other champions!"_

"I'm just a curious Pokemon trainer investigating the myths of Pokemon." Cynthia continued, seeing as how Touko hadn't said a word. Touko blinked; she did remember hearing rumors of Cynthia being a bit of a legend lover, and boy was Unova full of them.

Cynthia cast her gaze towards the side window, her arms crossed over her chest. "There are underwater ruins here in Undella Town, you know. As such, I borrowed a villa from an acquaintance of mine."

_"She means to tell me that she doesn't have millions already from beating poor unsuspecting trainers_ like myself,"Touko thought, staring at Cynthia quizzically. Cynthia immediately turned her attention back to Touko, causing her to immediately straighten herself up out of pure surprise.

"Now, in order to make a deeper acquaintance with a fellow trainer…" Cynthia said, reaching for a Pokeball, "I would like us to have a battle with our Pokemon…"

Touko's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as Cynthia's ball grew. _"I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I died I'm dead."_

"Would you be my opponent," Cynthia asked, tossing the ball easily in the air. Touko blinked, surprised at the fact that she was given a choice in the matter.

"Um….N-no," She cautiously said, her arms immediately coming up to defend herself from Cynthia's rage. Cynthia blinked, a giggle escaping her mouth as she shrunk her ball back to its original size.

"I see, you're one who likes to take things slowly and rationally," Cynthia said, placing the ball back on her belt. Touko blinked, the realization that she didn't have to battle her slowly dawning on her.

"U-Uh y-yeah…" Touko said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "I just really came here to get information about this town; lucky I ran into you! Didn't know there were underwater ruins here."

Cynthia smiled, walking back over to her tea. "Well, whenever you are ready, just come and talk to me. I'll be happy to battle you."

Touko nodded, already heading out the door. "Will do Cynthia! I will totally be back here before ya know!"

* * *

"Oh dear God _thank you,"_ Touko sighed, saving her game immediately after dodging a bullet. She flopped back onto her bed, the DS already shut down and lying beside her. She stared at the game; her heart still pounding at the prospect of having battled Cynthia totally unprepared.

_"I would've gotten creamed,"_ She thought, placing the game on her dresser. She stood up, reaching towards the ceiling as she stretched. She bent and twisted around; a sigh of relief escaping her lips as her back gave a satisfactory pop. She glanced towards the door, noticing that as of today Touya had yet to come in and bother her.

_"Strange; he's usually always finding an excuse to bug me,"_ Touko thought, walking out of her room. She walked quietly down the hall to Touya's room, stopping right outside his room. She opened the door, the sight of atomic bomb-like chaos meeting her eyes.

"Geez, clean your room once in a while will ya," Touko said, cautiously stepping over heaps of clothes and trash scattered around the room. Touya rolled his eyes as he continued to stare at the framed poster of the Elite Four, now officially autographed with each of their names.

"I'll clean it when I feel like," He countered, eyes never leaving the poster. Touko hopped on the bed, having finally reached a safe haven in the sea of discord.

"Geez Touya, why don't you marry the stupid thing and make it official," Touko said, a smirk on her face, "Then it wouldn't be so creepy when you stare at it."

Touya tore his gaze away from the poster to glare at her. "Three reasons why that cannot be done: One, it is an inanimate object which cannot be married; two, it has two men on it and gay marriage has yet to be legalized in our area; and three it has multiple people on it which would be considered polygamy, which is frowned upon in our society."

"…And oddly enough, that whole entire argument made sense," Touko muttered. Touya smirked as he dug through his pockets.

"Here," He said, handing her a plain CD case, "I made the show into a DVD for you. Ya know, so you could give it to N next time he comes around?"

Touko took the case, sighing. "Thanks, but it might be _ages_ until he gets to come around."

"Ah…Making sure Ghetsis doesn't get suspicious," Touya asked, turning back to the poster. Touko nodded, running her thumb along the case.

"After a certain number of outings or hours or who _knows_ how she calculates it," Touko began, "Concordia makes sure N doesn't sneak out for a while to make sure that Ghetsis doesn't get suspicious and start following them around."

"So you just going to hold onto it, or do you want me to?"

Touko shook her head, pocketing the case. "Nay, I'll give it to him tonight."

Touya blinked, staring at her quizzically. "But you just said…"

"I said N can't come to me," Touko said, smirking deviously, "I never said _I_ can't come to _N_."

* * *

Touko quietly crawled through the bushes, brushing herself off as she stood up. _"Alright, now if I remember correctly, the crawlspace_ should _be under the back steps."_

She looked to her left and right; seeing that the coast was clear, she immediately sprinted off towards the steps of the back porch. She dove through the air, landing on the ground roughly as she slid under the steps. She shook her head, adjusting her cap before continuing on her journey.

_"Come on…"_ Touko thought, groping blindly through the dark underneath of the steps. Her hand finally brushed against a small door, signaling that she had finally found it. She pulled it open, crawling through the door quickly before pulling it shut behind her. She blinked; her eyes adjusting to the total darkness of the crawlspace.

_"Was this always so tight,"_ She thought, wriggling through the space carefully. The musty smell provided no sensory relief for the cramped quarters either; it was a path only used on emergency occasions, and as such was not kept in the best of shape.

_"Five bucks that this entire thing could collapse at any time,"_ Touko thought, moving forward without any sense of direction. Under normal circumstances she would have brought a flashlight to help her on her way; however, since the risk of being caught was already high without the aid of a source of light, she decided to forgo it and hope for the best. Besides, Touko knew that it wouldn't be dark forever; the small stream of light filtering through the crack of a trapdoor proved this to be true.

She pushed the trapdoor opening, gasping for fresh air as her head popped up out of the floor. She looked around, noticing that she was in a large light yellow colored room with a white carpet.

"Touko," Came a voice from the side. She turned her head, eyes meeting those of a very surprised Anthea. "What're you doing here?"

Touko stood up in the crawlspace, hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh, just wanted to deliver something to N and I kinda needed some fresh air."

Anthea smiled at her from her seat besides the large window. "Well I'm so very glad that you've decided to come and visit us on your journey! It must be so very cramped in there for you."

Touko waved her hand dismissively. "Oh no, it's really not that bad! At least, nothing I can't handle."

"You better not get dirt on the floor," Concordia stated, closing the book she was reading so that she could glare at her.

"I won't, promise," Touko said, beginning to crawl back into the space, "I might stop back when I leave!"

"Okay then," Anthea said, waving to her, "I'll make sure to have a little something for you to refresh yourself with when you stop by!"

"Oh no need to trouble yourself Anthea!"

"It's no trouble at all," Anthea said, waving her hand dismissively, "Now run along!"

Touko nodded, closing the door and making sure it clicked shut. Concordia sighed once it had, opening her book and returning to her story.

"You all will be the death of me, I swear," She muttered. Anthea only giggled as she returned to her painting of the scenery outside the window.

_"From what I remember, N's room is right next to theirs,"_ Touko thought as she crawled on, _"So this next trapdoor must be his!"_

She pushed the door open, popping her head through the floor once again. She looked around the large room, trying to spot N.

_"Where is he,"_ She thought, pulling herself out of the hole and into the room. She dusted herself off, her eyes glancing down at the sky blue carpet decorated with clouds. She walked around carefully; eyes darting around the purple and blue patterned walls. She shivered slightly as her eyes caught sight of the half pipe; memories of the day when she finally saw what kind of man Ghetsis truly was resurfacing.

* * *

_The young eleven year old's head swung back and forth, mesmerized by how easily the N seemed to ride the skateboard, performing tricks that seemed almost impossible to someone like her. He hopped off the board when he reached the platform nearest to the stack of tires. N brushed loose hairs from his eyes; Touko burst into applause once their eyes met._

_"That was amazing N," She said, watching as he climbed down the stack of tires. He landed lightly on the floor, smiling at her with the skateboard in hand._

_"Would you like to learn how," He asked, gesturing towards her with the board. She shook her head, hands held in front of her._

_"Oh no no no," She said, "I'm not coordinated enough to do what you can do!"_

_N chuckled, grasping her hand. "I'm not going to teach you those; that takes a lot more practice than what we can get accomplished. I just want to teach you the basics."_

_Touko blushed lightly, gazing down at the floor as her foot kicked at the carpet slightly. "W-Well, I guess so…"_

_"Great," He exclaimed, placing the board on the floor, "Now, place your foot you want in front right here," He said, pointing at a spot behind the two front wheels. She nodded, placing her right foot where he indicated._

_"Now, place your other foot right there," He indicated a spot parallel to where her right foot was placed. Touko obeyed, placing her left foot there. He stood up, standing a few feet away from where she was placed on the skateboard._

_"Now keep your balance and your knees bent, and just give yourself a little push," He said an encouraging smile on his face. She looked down at the floor, giving the board a small push forward; it rolled a few inches forward without her falling off, causing a huge smile to break out on her face._

_"I-I did it," She whispered, giving herself slightly larger push forward. The board went forward farther causing her to giggle in delight. N chuckled as he watched her, arms crossed over his chest._

_"Looks like you basically got the hang of it," He said, watching as she kept pushing herself forward. She looked over at him, a large grin set between two cheeks red from excitement._

_"Look at me N; I'm doing it," She cheered, waving excitedly at him. Her expression suddenly changed from one of excitement to surprise as she suddenly began to rock back and forth. N's eyes widened as he immediately ran towards her; her arms waved wildly around as the skateboard slipped out from under her. She squealed as she fell backwards, eyes shut tightly as she braced herself for impact. After a few moments of no pain, she cautiously opened her eyes._

_"Are you alright," N asked as he stared down at her. Touko nodded a bright blush on her face as she realized that the reason why she never hit the ground was because N had caught her._

_"I-I'm fine," She stuttered, her gaze unable to break away from his. He smiled, causing her blush to increase tenfold._

_"That's good to hear," He said; his hand went to her forehead as he studied her expression, "Yet, your face is so red; is it flushed from shock?"_

_She bit her lip; unsure as to if she should reveal the real reason. She took a deep breath to calm herself, opening her mouth to reply when all of a sudden a harsh knocking was heard on the door. N's eyes widened, pulling Touko with him as he stood up straight._

_"Go," He whispered, pushing her towards the half pipe, "Hide behind there."_

_Touko nodded dumbly, sprinting to the half pipe and dove behind it; she peeked out from behind it, making sure to keep herself hidden. The door to the room burst open as an older man stormed into the room; N tightened his hands into fists as Ghetsis approached him._

_"My son," He began; a smirk plastered on his face, "Your tutors say you aren't putting forth your best effort."_

_"Are they now," N asked, his eyes meeting Ghetsis's._

_"Yes; they say you seem…distracted," He continued, circling around N, "Should you be?"_

_He shrugged. "Sometimes the lessons become repetitive and dull; I can only pay attention to something that does not hold my interest for so long."_

_"That is no excuse," Ghetsis shouted, grabbing N by the collar of his shirt, "You are to perform at your best, always! No excuses; no exceptions! Do I make myself clear?"_

_"…Why?"_

_Ghetsis's grip tightened on his shirt. "What did you just say?"_

_"I said, why," N repeated, a rebellious fire burning in his eyes, "Why must I be confined to this house; this room? Why can't I go out and make friends; have a life? Why-"_

_"Enough," Ghetsis roared, throwing N as hard as he could. N landed against the floor, a hiss of pain being heard as he skidded along the carpet. Touko watched in horror as Ghetsis advanced on him, his hand raised as he grabbed him by the collar again._

_"You are never to question my motives," Ghetsis shouted as he slapped N across the face, "You are to follow my orders like the obedient son I have supposedly raised you to be! Everything I do is in your best interest; everything is to make sure that you are the greatest creature alive on this earth!_ Everything is to protect you from petty human error! **Do I make myself clear?"** _He shrieked ending with a final hard slap against N's battered cheeks. N bit his lip, nodding silently to indicate he understood. Ghetsis threw him to the ground; the silent answer not appeasing him._

"Answer me boy!"

_"Yes…father…" N said through gritted teeth, his hand clutching his side. Ghetsis walked towards the door finally pleased with his answer._

_"Your studies will be increased tomorrow by cutting your break times," He said, reaching the doorway. He turned around, glaring harshly at N on the floor, "Failure is not an option." He ended, slamming the door behind him._

_After what seemed an eternity, Touko cautiously walked out from her hiding spot, making her way towards N. "Are you…"_

_"Go."_

_She blinked. "H-Huh?"_

_N looked at her; eyes a cold harsh green. "Leave me."_

_She stood there, shaking her head in protest. "No N, I-"_

"Just go already," _He shouted, causing her to flinch, "You're scarred enough; just leave me alone so that I can deal with this myself!"_

_Her hands balled into fists; eyes becoming two blue stones of determination. "No," She shouted, stamping her foot, "I will not leave you alone! You need me here and you know it!"_

_"I've dealt with it for all my life," He muttered, looking away from her, "What's one more day going to matter?"_

_Her gaze softened as she walked towards him, kneeling as soon as she was close enough. N watched her curiously as she took his hand in hers; her small thumb running circles over the back of his hand._

_"One more day," She began, looking down at the floor, "Is one more day that you feel alone. And friends don't let their friends feel alone during times like these!"_

_He bit his lip, turning his head away from her. She huffed, taking initiative and pulling him into a gentle hug. His eyes widened at the contact; his body stiffened as her tiny arms wrapped around his shoulders. He slowly relaxed as her hands ran soothingly through his hair, his head resting against her shoulder._

"So soft…Such a wonderful feeling…" _He thought, eyes closing as he sighed gently. Touko smiled; glad to see him relaxing after such a taxing ordeal. She rested her head gently against his, her smile growing as she saw N's innocent face._

"There's no doubt about it," _She thought, closing her own eyes,_ "I am absolutely in love with this boy."

* * *

Touko sighed, shaking her head to clear her thoughts and bring her back to the present. She turned away from the half pipe, immediately running into the chest of the boy she was just thinking about. She looked upwards, surprise etched on both their faces.

"Touko," He asked, "What're you doing here?"

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Ah, you know; j-just thought I'd drop by and give you this." She said, handing him the CD case. He took it from her, examining it carefully.

"What is it?"

"It's a recording of the Elite Four's show," Touko explained, "I didn't know when you'd be coming around again, so…"

"So you broke into my house to deliver it," N finished. She blushed slightly, her feet kicking at the carpet aimlessly.

"Well when you put it like that…" She trailed off. N chuckled, picking her chin up so that she was caught in his gaze.

"You are probably the strangest girl I know," He muttered, forehead resting against hers. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"That's okay," She said, lightly brushing her nose against his, "You're the strangest boy I know."

"Ah, touché," He said, pulling her to him so that her head rested against his chest. She closed her eyes; the sound of his heartbeat lulling her into a sense of security.

"I wish everyday could be like this…" She mumbled. He looked down at her, a slight confused look on his face.

"You wish you could crawl through a tight, musty hole in order to see me; only to have a sense of fear that Ghetsis could come in at any moment," He asked in an incredulous voice. She lightly slapped his shoulder, rolling her eyes.

"No silly," She giggled, "I meant that I wish everyday could be just us; you, me, and whatever adventures life decides to bring to us."

"Ah, that makes much more sense," He said, nuzzling into the top of her head.

"Of course it does."

He smiled; if she could have seen it, she would have described it as almost wistful. "Maybe someday we will."

She nodded; her grip on his jacket growing tighter. "It will definitely happen," She said, pulling away enough to be able to look into his eyes, "I promise you this much N; one day, we will be happy. One day, you will be free."

He smiled, pulling her to him again. "And when that day comes, you'll be right beside me, won't you?"

She smiled, running her hand through his hair. "Of course I will. The heroine always has to stand victorious with her friends at the end of the story, right?"

He smiled at her determination and views on happy endings; it was almost enough to give him hope about being free from this cage.

"Right."


	7. Chapter 7

Concordia slowly pushed the door open just enough to stick her head out the door. She looked up and down the deserted hallway, checking for any sign of life. Once she was sure no one was around, she quietly stepped out of the room, slowly shutting the door until she heard the small click. She then stood up straighter as she headed to her left, walking quickly so as to make it to her destination before her small amount of courage left her. She made multiple twists and turns; the hallways all looking alike and crossing paths with each other so much that one who wasn't familiar with the layout would have easily become lost. She finally reached a large ornate door at the end of a hallway; taking a deep breath to steady herself, she raised her hand and knocked.

"Enter," A deep male's voice, teeming with authority, boomed from within. Concordia pushed the door open, quickly sliding inside and closing the door again. The room was a large study filled completely with books; a large fireplace was placed in the middle, a fire roaring within it at the moment. She stood at the doorway, her eyes glued to the back of a high backed chair that could have easily been mistaken for a throne.

"Who is it," The man's voice commanded; the body not bothering to turn from the large book he was reading to see.

"It's Concordia, father."

The sound of a book shutting closed reverberated throughout the room. Ghetsis propped his chin on his hand, the rings on his fingers reflecting the fire's light. "To what do I owe this visit?"

She swallowed, looking down at the floor as she spoke. "I noticed that we are low on certain items, so I was wondering if I may be of service and obtain groceries."

She waited his answer in silence, the feeling of suspense within her core boiling more harshly with each nanosecond of silence that passed.

"Of course my child," He finally spoke, causing Concordia to jump, "After all, you are the most responsible; surely I can trust you to get the job done in, say, an hour?"

Concordia nodded, "I'll work my hardest to try and finish even before that father."

He nodded a small smirk visible on his face. "What would I do without an obedient girl like you Concordia?"

"I will never let that question be answered for you father," Concordia replied, pulling the door open. As she exited, Ghetsis chuckled silently at her answer; his gaze never leaving the fire.

* * *

Concordia walked quickly down the street, an empty bag in her hands. She took every shortcut she knew to the supermarket, running down dark alleys and hopping over fences.

_"The faster I get there, the faster I can get done,"_ She thought as she landed softly on the ground, _"And then I can go the normal way with time to spare."_

She reached the parking lot, giving her small list a quick once over before heading into the store. The air conditioning smacked her full force with its chill, causing her to involuntarily shiver at the sudden drop in temperature.

_"Stupid cooling systems,"_ She thought, immediately heading towards the fruit section. She quickly snatched up the heaviest bag of grapes and apples she could find. She stopped by the section dedicated to melons; picking each one up individually, she judged it by its size until finally picking the one she judged to be the largest.

_"Next are the vegetables,"_ She thought, crossing 'fruit' off the list. She gracefully headed towards the vegetables; picking up only the largest and heaviest of the selections that were offered. She placed them in her bag, crossing 'vegetables' off the list as well.

_"Now time for milk,"_ She thought happily, heading towards the dairy section. Her eyes quickly scanned the shelves, looking for the soy milk that she always purchased. Her eyes widened as she spotted a carton; shoved all the way into the back, behind the two percent and chocolate, was the very last visible carton of soy milk that she could find. Her hand immediately shot towards it only to collide with another hand. Her wide eyes hardened into a glare as she turned to stare down her competitor; she blinked in surprise as she saw her reflection in a boy's glasses.

"…You're that boy," She began, pointing at him, "From that night when I picked up N and Anthea."

Cheren nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "And you're Concordia, N's sister and Anthea's fraternal twin."

She nodded, her hand still extended towards the milk. "Well, now that this little chat is over, I would like to purchase my milk."

"What a coincidence; so would I."

She frowned; her brows furrowing at his response. "Then go get some other type."

"I'm lactose intolerant," He stated, his eyes meeting hers in a staring contest.

"My family is vegan."

"I need it to prevent gastrointestinal problems."

"I need it to make a statement against eating products made from animals."

"Well then get the almond milk," Cheren said, pointing towards the almond milk a few cartons down. Concordia turned towards it before turning her attention back to him; a curious gleam in her eyes.

"Why don't you," She shot back.

"I'm deathly allergic to almonds," Cheren stated, feeling triumphant as Concordia frowned. She thought and thought for a possible comeback; unable to think of one she backed away from the milk, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Fine," She mumbled, "Take the stupid soy milk. I'll just say they were all out."

He cautiously took the carton, checking the date before placing it in his basket. "You're on a shopping trip for your family?"

Concordia nodded, her back turned towards him. "I'm the only one he really trusts with taking care of the family," She said, eyes falling to the ground.

Cheren raised an eyebrow. "What about Anthea? N?"

"He trusts Anthea, but not as much as me," She stated, eyes still attached to the ground, "He knows that she has a tendency to get distracted. As for N…Well, he's never allowed out of the house."

"And just why," Cheren began, crossing items off his own shopping list, "Does he trust you and Anthea more than N?"

She sighed, beginning to walk towards the checkout lines; Cheren followed after her, curious for her answer. "It's not even that he trusts us," She began, reaching the end of the shortest line, "He just wants us to have practice in the roles of a wife."

Cheren blinked, confused by the answer. "Roles of a wife?"

She shrugged. "You know; cooking, cleaning, shopping, the whole nine yards. Just, basically being servants to a family. All to help us be prepared for a life of traditional servitude to a husband."

"And does…N believe these values that Ghetsis holds," Cheren asked, curious. Concordia shrugged, placing her items on the conveyor belt.

"Beats me," She said, placing an item separator between her load and another customer's items, "All I know is that if he does-"

"Touko will beat the snot out of him." Cheren finished a smirk on his face. She smiled as she looked up from the belt.

"Basically."

Cheren smirked, placing his own items on the belt. "So, you're condemned to a life within the house."

"That's how it looks," She said, watching as the cashier rang up the items.

"And you're fine with it?"

Concordia looked at the ground, a wistful look in her eyes. "Not really," She admitted, her hands running up the sides of her arms, "But, it's either get married and live a life confined to a house with a man who loves me or stay there."

Cheren nodded as he watched her pay for the items. "And you'd rather be with someone more bearable than Ghetsis?"

She nodded, placing her groceries back in her bag. "You've hit the nail on the head." She said, shifting the bag so that it rested comfortably on her arm. She turned towards him, bowing slightly as she smiled.

"It was nice meeting you…um…" Her eyes drifted towards the ceiling; her mind moving at the speed of light to try and figure out his name.

"Cheren."

She blinked, surprise etched on her face. "Eh?"

"My name," He said, handing the cashier money, "My name is Cheren."

"Cheren…" She said tentatively, making sure that she would remember so that it registered the next time she met him. "Well, I should be going now. Good-bye." She said, heading towards the exit quickly. Cheren picked up his bags, taking long strides to catch up with her.

"Where are you going in such a hurry," He asked as he fell into stride beside her. Concordia glanced at him before averting her eyes ahead of her.

"I'm going home," She stated simply, glancing at her watch, "After all, I've only got about forty minutes to make it home, and it usually takes thirty minutes fast walking time to make it there."

He blinked. "You've got that all timed out?"

She nodded. "I have to if I want to avoid being scolded."

"How long," He began tentatively, "Does it take if you take shortcuts?"

She blinked. "About ten or fifteen minutes; depends on if I run or not."

He smirked. "Great, then you've got plenty of time." He said, grasping her wrist. She squeaked as he suddenly pulled her in a direction completely off course from where she was headed.

"U-Unhand me," She shouted, smacking his hand, "Where are you taking me?"

He glanced back at her, a smile on his face. "Don't worry; I'm just as serious when it comes to being punctual."

She pouted, turning her gaze away from his. "Could've fooled me."

"Believe me, I'm the most serious out of that pack of goofballs you met the other day."

"Then why am I not heading home?"

He shrugged. "Because goofing off is contagious, and you're even more serious than I am. And believe me; what I'm doing is mild compared to what someone like Touya would do."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever," She muttered under her breath, no longer fighting his grip. He chuckled, stopping in front of a building. Concordia looked up, staring at the building confusedly. It appeared to be a café of some sort; the exterior design reminiscent of an older time period.

"What is this place," She asked as Cheren pulled her up the stairs. He pushed the door open, striding through the door with her following. He stopped in front of a podium; turning his head to face her, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"You'll see soon enough," He said as a young man suddenly appeared. He wore a waiter's outfit, a blue bow tie complimenting his blue hair and eyes; locks of blue hair kept one eye hidden from view. The man smiled at Cheren as he grabbed two menus.

"Hello Cheren," He greeted, "What brings you around today?"

Cheren jerked a thumb back at Concordia. "My friend here has never eaten-no, never even heard of the Striaton Café and the famous Striaton triplets, so I figured I would bring her here to taste some of your exquisite cuisine Cress."

_"What,"_ Shouted a voice from the kitchen. Banging of pots and pans was heard, as well as shouts of 'Chili, watch the chicken!' The door to the kitchen was suddenly kicked open as a young man the same age as Cress burst into the room. He wore the same outfit as Cress, except his tie matched the flaming red of his eyes and hair. He pushed Cress to the side, eyes wide with shock; facial expressions clearly expressing how appalled he was at Concordia's ignorance.

"How can you have lived here and never been to this café?" Chili exclaimed, eyes directly boring into Concordia's. She looked to the side, her fingers twiddling together to try and ease her discomfort.

"Well, m-my family is vegan, so…" She trailed off, hoping that it was a good enough excuse. Chili ran his hand through his hair, his other placed on his hip.

"Well never fear mademoiselle! Our café offers a fabulous menu for all aspects of the dietary spectrum! In fact our vegetarian and vegan specialist is Cilan, who's back in the kitchen right now," He announced matter of factly, just as a small explosion could be heard from the back, _"…And is ruining my kitchen!"_ He screeched, sprinting back into the kitchen. Immediately upon entering shouts could be heard; suddenly a green haired, green eyed boy came spinning out of the kitchen, face and hair singed.

"My chicken," Chili groaned as the boy came to a stop. He staggered a bit, holding his head as he worked to get his bearings.

"You okay Cilan," Cheren asked, dusting off his shoulder. Cilan shook his head, trying to clear it of any remaining dizziness.

"I hate when he makes me take over _his_ specialties…" Cilan muttered, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. He caught sight of Concordia, immediately straightening up and bowing. "Good day! M-My name is Cilan, and I hope to be able to serve you well today!"

Concordia blinked; she suddenly broke into a fit of giggles over the antics of the chefs. Cheren smiled as Cilan blushed rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes averted to the ground. He turned to Cress, who watched the entire scenario with an amused expression.

"Give me your best vegan option," Cheren stated, "Don't care if it's soup, entrée, or dessert; just give it."

Cilan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…Our best vegan option…"

"Ha," Chili laughed, emerging from the kitchen carrying a covered plate, "Clearly that would be our triple chocolate tofu brownies!" He said, striding past his brothers and Cheren to stand in front of Concordia. He pulled the top off with a flourish, revealing a plate of tantalizing brownies. Concordia's eyes widened; her mouth practically watering at the sight. Before she could reply though, Cress appeared beside her with another dish, drawing her attention away from Chili.

"My dear, he is trying to fool you," He said, pulling the cover off to reveal a bowl of piping hot soup, "Our most delightful meal is the spicy lentil soup."

"You won't know delightful," Chili said, producing another dish, "Until you've tasted our chocolate-banana tofu pudding!"

"Our gluten free, vegetable soup is just as delicious, if not more so."

"Pfft, our gluten free vegetarian chili kicks that soup's butt!"

"Well then, how about our chocolate hazelnut soy ice cream?"

"As if! Try our masala chai brownies!"

"Um…" Concordia's head was spinning as Chili and Cress continued to throw different options at her, each trying to outdo the other. Cheren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"If you two are done your brotherly competition," Cheren said, interrupting the argument between Cress and Chili, "I've already gone and paid for something."

Both Cress and Chili's faces expressed surprise. "Well what is it?" They exclaimed, excitement shining in their eyes; bodies practically shaking from anticipation. Cheren smirked, stepping aside to reveal Cilan holding a small carry out carton.

"The vegan carrot cake." The announcement caused both Cress and Chili's jaws to drop. Cilan walked past them as they began to attack Cheren.

"What," Chili shouted, arms waving wildly, "My brownies are _way_ better than that carrot cake!"

"The soups are far more delectable than that," Cress stated calmly, flipping his hair to the side. Cheren rolled his eyes as he walked past them, muttering something about sibling competition along the way. Concordia smiled as Cilan placed the carton in her bag; perfectly hidden from view from any venturing eyes.

"Thank you for your time," Concordia said, smiling at him. Cilan blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"W-Well, it's our job to cook and serve," He muttered. Cheren began to walk out the door, cuing Concordia to follow after him. As the pair walked out, Chili ran to the door, waving his hand in the air.

"Oi," He shouted, hand cupped around his mouth, "You are _so_ coming back here and having something that's _actually_ delicious!"

"And what makes you think your food is delicious," Cress asked, yanking him back inside. He waved from the doorway, smiling. "Please join us again mademoiselle! I will be sure to treat you to a delectable meal!"

Concordia smiled, waving to them as they turned a corner. She turned to look at Cheren, his hands shoved in his pockets. "That was…" She trailed off, trying to find an appropriate word to describe the situation.

"Fun," Cheren suggested, glancing over his shoulder. Concordia nodded, feeling that the word fit. "Well it should've been; those guys are such goofballs, it's a wonder they're still in business."

"Maybe people find that appealing."

He shrugged. "Maybe," He said, "By the way, how much time do you have?"

She blinked; she had completely forgotten about the time limit. She glanced down at her watch, gasping as she saw the time. "I only have twenty minutes to make it back home!"

He blinked. "That's it?"

She glared at him, her panic evident in her eyes. "I have no idea where I am, it usually takes thirty when I'm _speed walking_ , and that's all you have to say?" He nodded. She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I'm never going to make it home in time!"

"Sure you will," He said, stopping in the middle of the path. She stopped as well, arms crossed over her chest.

_"How?"_

He crouched down to the ground. "Hop on my back, and you'll see."

She eyed him suspiciously, arms still crossed over her chest. "Why should I?"

He shrugged. "Either that, or you get in trouble with Ghetsis."

She bit her lip, debating her options. She huffed, hopping onto his back, coming to the decision that it couldn't hurt. "Alright, but I swear if- _Eek_ ," She squeaked, her hold around his neck tightening as he began to sprint down the path. He looked to his left and right, taking notice of the wall and chain link fence. He sprinted towards the wall, jumping into the air; his foot collided with the wall, propelling him towards the fence. He landed against it with a faint _clank_ , immediately pulling himself up to the top of it and running along the edge. Concordia swallowed, gazing down at the ground below them.

"Wh-What are you doing," She shrieked, eyes shut closed as Cheren jumped from the fence to the top of a building.

"Parkour," He stated, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, "Touya wanted to try it and wanted someone to do it with him. Guess who the lucky person was?"

"And aside from getting me _killed_ ," She hissed, placing emphasis on the word killed, "How does this help me?"

"Parkour is all about being efficient and fast; it's about finding the safest direct path through an obstacle," Cheren explained, hopping off a roof and into an alley. He continued to sprint, jumping over trash cans strewn about the alley. Concordia swallowed, her grip continuing to tighten around his neck.

"Anyway, just tell me what to look for as I take you home."

Concordia nodded, working to gather her thoughts as they sped through alleys and over fences. "W-Well, it's a big house, surrounded by this really big bush that basically just blocks your view of the world."

Cheren nodded. "Big house, big bush. Got it," He said, jumping onto the top of a dumpster and back onto a rooftop. He looked around, trying to spot any of the previously mentioned landmarks. He suddenly saw a large mansion with incredibly green grass, surrounded by a monstrous amount of shrubbery.

"That it," He asked, already sprinting in that direction. Concordia opened her eyes carefully to see where he was heading to; she gasped as her eyes widened exponentially.

"Y-Yeah…" She breathed, taking in the view before her. They were practically on at the top of their world; the birds that flew across the sky seemed close enough to touch while the people below looked far away from their existence. The tops of the buildings appeared to be nothing more than the tiling for a large room of empty space. The more suburban area that she and everyone else lived in sprawled out before her; the Harmonia house a huge eyesore against the quaint scenery of hundreds of little houses scattered throughout the landscape. Farther off in the distance she could see the Ferris wheel of the carnival; she wondered if anyone riding that would have just as breathtaking view.

Cheren concentrated on running, bounding from roof to roof towards the mansion. With each step he took, it clearly became closer; before Concordia could blink, he had leapt from the top of the building and down onto the ground, sprinting across the street and towards her house. He slowed down, halting just a few feet away from the entrance. He placed his hands on his knees, panting as Concordia slid off his back.

"How," He panted, wiping sweat from his brow, "How'd we do?"

Concordia checked her watch, blinking in surprise; she was about five minutes early. "You did…fantastic," She murmured, still in shock. Cheren smirked as he stood up straight, stretching out his muscles after such a workout.

"Well, there you have it," He said, turning around to leave, "See you next time N and Anthea decide to sneak out."

She nodded, watching as he began to walk away. She turned towards her path as well, taking a deep breath as she jogged towards the front door. She quickly opened and closed it, heading into the kitchen. She hastily put the groceries away, grabbing the carton of cake and flitting away to her room.

"Oh, how I wish we'd been there," Anthea said once the video had finished. N nodded, flipping the portable television set off.

"Apparently Shauntal's part was more of a 'had to be there' thing," N explained. Anthea nodded, her eyes still sparkling from excitement at having viewed the Elite Four in action.

"Still, it was absolutely amazing," She exclaimed, clasping her hands together. The door to the room was quickly opened and closed, causing both N and Anthea to turn their heads towards the doorway. Concordia leaned against the door, a sigh of relief escaping her as she clutched the carton to her chest.

"Concordia," Anthea exclaimed, hopping off the bed, "Where've you been?"

Concordia looked up, a smile gracing her lips. "Oh, just shopping."

Anthea nodded, immediately noticing the carton that she held. "Ooh, what's that?" Anthea asked, pointing towards the carton. Concordia held it out, opening it so that both Anthea and N could see what the contents were.

"Is that...carrot cake," N asked, leaning in and taking a slice. Anthea's eyes widened as she quickly grabbed one for herself.

"Where'd you get this," Anthea asked, biting into it; her eyes widened as she hummed in pleasure. "So tasty~!"

Concordia smiled, taking one for herself. "Ran into a friend," She simply stated, taking a bite for herself.

Disobedience had never tasted so good.


	8. Chapter 8

Anthea sighed, her eyes gazing longingly out the window. "Concordia, how much longer do we have to stay stuck in here?" She whined, turning her gaze towards her sister. Concordia was focused on the canvas in front of her, the brush in her hand making delicate strokes as it worked to replicate the vase of flowers in front of her.

"I told you," She sighed, setting her brush down, "We have to wait a few weeks before even thinking about doing stuff like that again."

"But _why_ ," Anthea whined again, turning around to fully face Concordia. Her innocent puppy dog pout was met with a hard glare as Concordia stared back at her.

"Because we cannot be careless with getting caught," She stated sternly, "So be quiet and patient while I finish this painting."

"But-" Anthea's argument was cut off as a sudden knocking was heard against the door in the floorboards. Both of their eyes widened as Concordia signaled for Anthea to be quiet. Anthea nodded, hopping off her perch and tiptoeing towards her sister. Concordia stepped quietly towards the vase, picking it up carefully as Anthea stood in front of the door. She pointed down towards the door, pantomiming the act of Anthea opening it and Concordia smashing the vase of the intruder's head. Anthea nodded, kneeling down to open the door. The second she opened it, out popped Touya's head, a large goofy grin on his face.

"Hiya gir-"

"Take _this_ ," Concordia shouted, smashing the vase over his head. Touya yelped in pain, immediately falling back down the hole.

"Touya, what the hell," A voice shouted from down below as he fell on the mystery person. Concordia and Anthea blinked, both of them looking at each other. They immediately dropped to their knees, both peering down into the dark. Touko sat underneath Touya, rubbing her head as Touya's dazed body lay on top of her.

"Touko," Anthea called down confusedly, "What're you doing?"

"I think the better question is, what is _he_ doing," Concordia muttered glaring darkly at Touya. Touko pushed Touya off of her, causing him to groan loudly in discomfort.

"Well," She began, standing up in the hole and pulling herself up, "Touya had the brilliant idea of coming here to invite you on an outing."

"Did you tell him he's an idiot for suggesting it," Concordia asked, standing up as Touko brushed herself off.

"Multiple times," Touya shouted from down below, slowly coming to his senses. Touko rolled her eyes, kneeling down onto the floor. She reached down into it, helping Touya as he climbed out of the hole. He stood up, brushing himself off as he turned to look at Concordia.

"Why in the name of all that is fantastic did you whack me with a vase," He asked, rubbing the top of his head. Concordia shrugged, turning her gaze towards the window.

"I thought you were a threat to Anthea and mine's safety."

"But I knocked!"

"Exactly."

"What the-How does that make me a threat?" Touya shouted, throwing his hands up in the air in confusion. Concordia sighed, turning her head so that she was glaring at him.

"Touko usually just pops the door open," She explained, "When something that isn't just her popping the door open occurs, it makes me think that it is someone who isn't her."

"Hence the vase over the head," Anthea concluded, smiling at Touya from her spot on the bed. Touya scratched his head, confused more than ever at the explanation.

"But…wouldn't a burglar or whatever burst through without knocking too?"

"Idiot, a burglar would probably use an open window first," Concordia stated, "That crawlspace is extremely well hidden, not to mention a very tight fit for anyone larger than a child. The only reason you even know of its existence is because of Touko."

Touya looked over at Touko, who only shrugged in response. "She's got a point," She conceded, "You only know about it because I showed you, and you even complained about it being tight."

Touya sighed, plopping himself onto the floor. "I give up on trying to understand your crazy girl logic!"

"Good," Concordia said, "Now you can get on with the reason why you're here."

Touya grinned, clearly pleased with this change in topic. "Well, the reason why we're here is to invite both of you lovely ladies and your brother on a wonderful outing tonight!"

Anthea's eyes lit up." That sounds wonderful!" She exclaimed.

Touya's grin grew larger as he turned to look at Anthea. "I thought you might like the idea!"

"Doesn't matter," Concordia stated, stepping in the line of sight between Touya and Anthea. "The number of safe outings has reached its limits, so now everyone has to stay confined for a couple of weeks."

"But Concordi-"

"It is for everyone's safety damn it," She shouted, stamping her foot, "My decision is final; there will be no exceptions made!"

"Even if I said someone specifically requested seeing you?" Touya asked slyly, standing up to saunter towards her. Concordia raised an eyebrow, eyeing him suspiciously as he circled her.

"And who in their right mind would do that?"

"Oh, just…a friend." He said innocently. Her eyes narrowed, appearing more like ice shards instead of serene pools.

"What kind of friend?"

"A friend of the boy variety."

"May I have a name?"

"He'd rather not be named."

Concordia growled, finally losing her patience with his games. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, causing Touya to yelp in surprise. She pulled his face close to hers, eyes shooting daggers straight into his skull. Touya gulped at the close proximity, feeling as though she could easily kill him just from staring at him.

"Now," She began coolly, "How about you tell me everything you know about this outing and this friend?"

He swallowed. "W-Well, w-we were all just gonna take you three to this little coffee house because it's a good spot to just hang out. A-And the friend, he was just Cheren; he thought you needed to chill out a little bit more, live the life of a young person and not a mother." Touya looked her up and down, taking note of her tense stance and angry aura. "Looks like he was right."

Concordia huffed, harshly releasing Touya from her grasp. "And just where is this little coffee house?"

Touya breathed a sigh of relief, brushing himself off. "In the city; nowhere dangerous, trust me!" He held his hands up defensively when he caught her suspicious glare. Concordia crossed her arms across her chest, still glaring at him.

"And you would still be able to bring them back before curfew?" She asked, staring at him directly. Touya nodded vigorously, feeling as though he was a prom date being quizzed by an overprotective parent. Concordia thought it over, tapping her foot silently as she processed the information.

"Alright then," She conceded, turning away from Touya as she approached her bed, "Anthea and N can go."

"But what about you," Touko asked as Touya silently cheered. Concordia shrugged, lying down upon her bed.

"It's my job to make sure that everyone is back before Ghetsis does his curfew check," Concordia stated, turning her head to look at Touko. "And if they are late, I have to distract him."

"But I promised we'd be back before their curfew!" Touya whined, staring up at Concordia. She glared down at him, causing him to shrink under her gaze.

"What if I said I didn't particularly trust you," She stated calmly. Touya put a hand to his chest, a shocked expression across his face.

"Why I'd be offended!"

"Well be offended all you want, cuz I don't particularly trust you."

Touya scratched his head. "What'd I ever do to be untrustworthy?"

"Oh Concordia," Anthea said, sliding off her bed and approaching Concordia, "You can trust Touya!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. "My decision stands strong, and nothing you say will change it."

"What if I said please?"

"The answer is still no."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty _pretty_ please?"

"No."

"Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top," Touya called out, hands clasped in front of him almost as if he were begging. Concordia glared at him, causing him to shrink slightly under her gaze.

"No," She reiterated, "Besides, I hate cherries."

"Okay then, strawberries!"

"No."

"Blueberries?"

"No."

"Blackberries!"

"No."

"How about raspberries?"

"Those are _disgusting_ ," She said, making a face at the mere thought of them. Touya rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry, didn't know that one," He said, "But come on! Let yourself a live a little! Be like everyone else; spend time with your family minus Ghetsis!"

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "If I say yes, will you finally just leave?"

He nodded, holding his hand up in the air. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!"

"I plan on remembering that," She muttered under her breath. Touya gulped at the comment, his discomfort gone unnoticed as Anthea jumped up and down in joy. Touko sighed, smiling as she shook her head at the scene before her.

_"This is gonna be one interesting night."_

* * *

"I'm so glad you could make it Concordia," Bianca said cheerfully, turning her head to glance back at her, "You're going to really enjoy yourself, I promise!"

"Whatever," She muttered, arms crossed as she stared out at the street. Cars whizzed by in the sunlight, their metallic hoods reflecting the brilliant sun into the eyes of pedestrians such as herself. The sidewalk she walked on was crowded twice as badly as the streets though; businessmen and women speeded towards their destinations, cell phone in one hand and a swinging briefcase in the other. They paid no heed to the various street musicians as they played to pay the bills; they barely stopped to apologize to anyone who they bumped into as they rushed to make the next big check.

_"How greed and business can change a person,"_ Concordia thought as she was jostled by one of society's victims. The jostling reminded her of Ghetsis; he was always so busy gearing them towards success and the predetermined status quo, that along the way he just…forgot.

_"It's not_ completely _his fault,"_ She thought, ignoring the blares of horns and exits from office buildings, _"He's just been…dazzled is all."_

"Oi, quit daydreaming!" Touya said, snapping his fingers in her face. Concordia blinked rapidly, completely caught off guard by his voice.

"Eh," She said, dazed by being brought back to reality. She turned her head rapidly, trying to figure out where exactly they were. They had gone down an alleyway and were now standing outside a beige doorway. A similar beige sign reading _Castelia Coffee House_ hung over the door, a steaming cup of coffee stamped on it.

"Well, glad you could join the world of the active again!" Touya announced, grinning cheerfully at her. Concordia rolled her eyes, pushing past Touya as she walked ahead of him.

"I can daydream whenever I want, thank you very much," She said curtly, turning her head to glare at him. Touya shuddered, immediately moving to hide behind Touko and N.

"Is she always this intimidating, or is it just me?" Touya asked, looking up at both Touko and N for answers. Touko shrugged, turning her gaze towards N for the answer. He sighed, scratching the back of his head as he looked up to the sky thoughtfully.

"Well, she usually has a motherly attitude," He began, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "And when she uses that attitude, she seems pretty intimidating."

Touya breathed a sigh of relief as N continued. "Although I must admit, you seem to invoke a certain degree of intimidation that she's yet to display to us." N added, causing Touya's eyes to widen as he gulped fearfully.

"Gee, thanks for that info."

"You're welcome."

"Enough chitty-chatter," Bianca said, loud enough to draw everyone's attention, "This is everyone's first time, so I want us all to be really attentive about the sights, sounds, and general excitement!"

" _Everyone's_ first time," Concordia asked, eyes darting in Touya's direction to glare at him. He whimpered, cowering behind Touko in utter fear. Cheren sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"What Bianca means," He interjected, "Is that this is the first time it's opening. So before you rip Touya's head off Concordia, it hasn't been around long enough to be considered a 'gang hangout', or whatever it is you're worried about."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her face set into a stubborn pout. "Whatever."

Bianca grinned, seemingly ignoring the entire miniature world war that had occurred before her eyes. "Alright, then let's go!" She announced, pushing the door to the café open. A small bell tinkled, signaling the group's entrance into the newest addition to the city scene. Everyone looked around, each person taking in each of the sights, sounds, and scents as the person next to them, the only difference being their senses being assaulted at separate times.

The café was a small place, quaint little coffee house. A small stage set off to the side of the room featured a lone guitarist singing a handwritten ballad; a stand below the stage held a sign that read 'Welcome to Castelia's First Open Mic Night!' A bar could be seen in the back with a cashier and baristas; multiple machines could be seen running as they worked to produce the beverage of the customer's choice. The lighting was dim, giving a sort of sleepy feel to the shop; the multiple empty round tables and chairs only worked to accentuate the feeling. Some tables had customers, however, and one table in particular caught the eye of Touya.

"Oh my God…" He muttered, eyes becoming the size of saucers. Touko looked towards him, eyebrow raised in question.

"What?"

"It's the Elite Four," Touya squealed, grabbing Touko's arm and pointing in the direction of the table. Sure enough, there sat Alder, applauding loudly as the guitarist finished his piece. On his left sat Grimsley applauding as well, his attitude though far less exuberant than Alder's; on his right sat Caitlin as she quietly sipped at her cup of presumably coffee. Next to Caitlin sat Shauntal, a notebook propped on her lap as she wrote something down; the cup of coffee she had ordered being seemingly ignored at the moment.

"Oh yeah," Touko said, glancing at the table, "Wonder what they're still doing here since the carnival ended?"

"Who cares," Touya shouted, eyes glued to Alder as he laughed merrily. "What matters is that the most famous group of people on the _planet_ are in a café! With us!"

"Why do I not like where this is going," Concordia muttered, eyes darting towards Cheren and Bianca. Bianca shrugged her shoulders as Cheren just stood there, eyes glued to the watch on his wrist.

"Three…two…one…"

"Touya," Touko shouted, immediately chasing after the boy as he ran towards the table. He skidded to a stop immediately in front of the Elite Four, hands placed on his knees as he panted from the sprint. Grimsley and Caitlin glanced at each other, each raising an eyebrow; Shauntal merely kept her eyes glued to the notebook as Alder grinned at Touya.

"Hiya sonny," He greeted, waving his large hand as the rest of the group came over, "What can I do for ya?"

"Do you remember me," He asked quickly, eyes shining with excitement. Alder scratched his chin, a pondering look crossing his face.

"Hmm…you _do_ look familiar."

"He's the ballerina boy Alder," Grimsley stated, sipping at his coffee. Alder's fingers snapped, recognition lighting his eyes brightly.

"Oh yeah! Now I remember," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry kid, my mind's not what it's used to be."

"Not only that," Caitlin said, head resting on her laced finger, "But how are we supposed to remember every screaming fanboy that crosses our paths?"

Everyone snickered as Touya's jaw dropped to the floor, eyes bugging out of his head. "F-Fanboy…?"

"Oh, she's just kidding," Alder said, lightly slapping Caitlin's shoulder. She glared slightly at him, brushing invisible dirt from her clothing. "Believe me when I say, we've met many more eccentric personalities than yourself! You're just a…a uh…uh…"

"Worshipper," Shauntal asked, pushing her glasses up her nose. Alder pointed towards her, nodding his head rapidly.

"Yeah! That's it!"

"That's basically a _fanboy_ , Alder." Caitlin said harshly, sipping from her coffee cup. Alder scratched his head, giving her a confused look.

"Really? Could've sworn I was like that about something when I was his age…"

Grimsley sighed, rolling his eyes. " _Anyway_ , what brings you children to our silent little corner of the world?"

"We were just wondering how come you guys were still in town," Bianca piped in, considering that Touya was still too stupefied at Caitlin's comments to make a coherent answer. Shauntal placed her pen down, looking up at the group with a smile on her face.

"Well, as you all know, we are a traveling carnival who goes all across the country," She began, "And unfortunately, we don't have much time to enjoy the exquisite delicacies of each city since we're so focused on making sure the carnival is up and running."

"You mean you guys don't relax during the day?" Touko asked, genuinely surprised. They all shook their heads, with Alder being the vocal one of the group.

"Are you kidding? We have to make sure all the rides are up to code, all the food is for the most part not spoiled, all the games aren't rigged to be impossible yet not easily winnable, and that all the shows are practicing and in working order!"

_" 'For the most part not spoiled'? 'Aren't rigged to be impossible yet not easily winnable'?",_ Concordia thought, raising an eyebrow at Alder's explanation. _"I most certainly am not missing out on much of these so called 'beloved childhood memories'"_

"So," Caitlin began, drawing Concordia's attention away from her thoughts, "Once the carnival is over, we usually hang around for a little bit more to properly enjoy the places we visit."

"It must be so nice to see so many fascinating places," Anthea sighed, a dreamy look coming into her eyes.

Alder nodded enthusiastically. "Is it ever! One of my favorite places was Opelucid City; that was one of the strangest places we've ever traveled to!"

"What made it so strange," Cheren asked, his curiosity rising at the statement.

"Well, it was an average sized place; fair weather, cobblestone streets. Very rural and more set in the olden times, ya know? But, as you traveled deeper into the city, it was like stepping into a whole new world!"

"Really," Bianca asked, eyes wide with wonder. Alder nodded again, hands placed on the table.

"Yeah! It became this really modern, futuristic kind of place! Real lively place for the young people of the city if I remember correctly." He said, leaning back on the last two legs of his chair. He propped his feet up onto the table, toes wiggling in the air that his sandals provided. Grimsley sighed, immediately pushing his feet up, causing him to fall backwards.

"Argh," He yelled, crashing to the floor loudly.

"No feet on the tables Alder. It's impolite, and sets a very bad example for our young guests." Grimsley stated, pointing towards the group. Alder stood up, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.

"You could've at least given me warning man!"

"Much more amusing this way." He stated, sipping from his coffee. Alder stuck his tongue out at Grimsley, before turning to the stage where a band was setting up for their performance.

"Oi, how about you kids play some good old fashioned dancing music? All this talk of adventures and travels have filled me with energy more than any caffeinated beverage could!"

The small group nodded their heads meekly, before beginning to play light, airy tune. The main instrument used was a flute, coming from the two female band members. In the background could be heard the light beats of bongo drums and the simple strumming of a lute; an electric piano made its appearance every now and again, adding a lovely sound to the symphony of music. Alder snapped his fingers, bobbing his head to the beat.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about," He said, grinning from ear to ear, "This is almost like my own little theme or something!"

"It certainly sounds like a wonderful traveling song." Bianca added, her body swaying with the rhythm of the music. Alder looked over at her, the grin still plastered on his face.

"I know right," He said excitedly. "But enough chit-chat! It's time to dance!" He said, and with that grabbed Bianca by the arm and led her to the open space on the floor. Bianca squealed and giggled, following Alder's lead in the dance. Cheren sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose as the two of them danced.

"It must be wonderful to be in such a state of ignorant bliss." He muttered, watching as Bianca and Alder danced as if it wasn't strange for a man his age to be dancing with a teenage girl.

"Ah, he's just a big 'ol teddy bear on the inside anyway," Touya shouted, clasping a hand on Cheren's shoulder. "Hey Anthea, wanna dance?"

Anthea blinked, looking over at Touya. "Me?" She asked, pointing at herself.

"Of course you!"

"Well, I don't really know how to…" She began. Touya waved his hand dismissively, grabbing her by the arm.

"It's okay, neither do I!" He said cheerfully, leading her out to the floor. Anthea giggled, following Touya to wherever he led her.

"Hey, you better not crush her toes with your stupid feet," Concordia shouted, raising a fist in Touya's direction. He obviously hadn't heard her, as he and Anthea were too busy with trying to mimic Alder and Bianca's moves. Concordia huffed, ears catching the sound of N and Touko's laughs as they danced together. She crossed her arms over her chest, smiling slightly at the sounds of everyone having fun.

Cheren glanced over at her, expression softening at her smile. "Well, we might as well join them."

Concordia turned away, one eye open to look at him. "Tch, just because you may be graceful jumping walls doesn't mean you're graceful on the dance floor. Besides, I have-"

"-To make sure that you, Anthea, and N get home on time," Cheren finished, "I've got it. Now come along, let's get you having fun." He said, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the floor. Concordia sighed, following him as they joined the others. He placed one hand on her waist and his hand in hers, leading her through a dance that perfectly matched the mood of the music.

_"This is actually…fun,"_ She thought, following his quick, airy steps. She smiled, hearing Anthea squeal with laughter as Touya spun her around and dipped her towards the ground.

"Alright everyone, let's change partners!" Alder shouted, spinning Bianca away from him and towards Touya. Touya lifted Anthea away from the floor and towards N, catching the giggling Bianca. Anthea landed lightly on her feet, curtsying at N who merely bowed towards her before taking her hand in dance. Touko smiled, shrugging as she went to Cheren for a partner. Concordia pouted, looking at Alder and then at Touko.

"I don't particularly trust that brute…" She muttered, eying him suspiciously. Due to a lack of a partner, Alder had resorted to dancing freely by himself, performing high leaps and spins in the air, earning himself applause from the other patrons of the café.

"Believe me when I say, he's probably harmless," Cheren said, steering her in Alder's direction. Concordia stood awkwardly as Alder landed in front of her after having performed a leap. He grasped her hand in his, already beginning to lead her.

"Come, dance," He cheered, grinning merrily at her, "The night is young, and we've all the time in the world to drink from the cup of life!"

_"Wonder what his coffee was spiked with,"_ Concordia thought as she silently followed Alder's lead in the dance.

* * *

"Man, who knew Alder was such a party animal," Touya shouted, arms folded behind his head as he walked down the darkened streets. Bianca nodded, wiping sweat from her brow as she walked beside him.

"It was so nice of that band to keep repeating the same song over and over again!"

"Considering he slipped them a fifty and got them thunderous applause and café fame, I don't think they had any qualms about it." Cheren stated, hands in his pockets. Anthea hummed the tune from the café, her steps still in beat with the song as she danced along the street. Touko and N walked beside each other, Touko laughing as she made small jokes about N having two left feet, causing him to blush and sheepishly scratch the back of his head.

"Oh Concordia," Anthea said in a dreamy voice as she continued to dance along, "Aren't you glad you came along now?"

Concordia smiled softly, glancing over at her sister. "Considering we right on time, yeah."

"So if we didn't, you would've hated it?" Touya asked, turning his head slightly to look at her.

"No, I would've only hated you."

Touya gulped, turning back around quickly. Bianca giggled as Cheren smirked, causing Touya to whine about being treated unfairly. Concordia rolled her eyes, the smile growing slightly bigger on her face.

Finally, they reached a streetlight that wasn't far from the Harmonia mansion. N and Touko hugged one final time before N was being lead back towards the house by his sisters.

"Bye guys," Anthea called, waving to them, "Hope to see you again real soon!"

"Bye-bye Anthea, Concordia, N!" Bainca called back, waving her arm in the air.

Anthea smiled, turning a corner with her siblings and walking back in the darkness. The mood was light, energetic, and, most importantly, purely happy. Before it would always have an unspoken darkness hidden behind the joy; tonight, however, it was pure unbridled love of life that surrounded them. It made the stars shine brighter, the grass look greener, and the noise of the city sound like the world's most beautiful symphony. Concordia sighed happily as she basked in the feeling, her arms swinging slightly by her sides.

_"Maybe…I_ should _do this more often,"_ She thought, crawling after Anthea through the bushes. Once she reached the other side, she brushed the dirt off her dress, a smile still plastered on her face. She looked towards her siblings, ready to race them to the house once again. Instead of smiles and giggles though, she saw muscles tense with apprehension and fear. Her own eyes widened as she slowly turned towards where they were staring, her own muscles tensing as she saw what was awaiting them.

"Hello children," Ghetsis said, staring them down from where he stood, "Did you have a nice night?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I give Cheren and Concordia moments? Because 2011/2012 me thought that was a good idea


	9. Chapter 9

Fire cackled in the fireplace, the flames dancing wildly around the burning remains of logs. N, Anthea, and Concordia stood in front of the fireplace; Anthea's head hung, her eyes casted towards the ground, while N and Concordia kept their heads up to meet the eyes of Ghetsis. Ghetsis sat in his large chair, a glass of wine being swirled in his hand as he analyzed them. He took a sip before finally speaking to them.

"So, my dear children," He began, "After all that I have done for you- given you food, shelter, clothing, top education, and whatever else your heart desires- _this_ is how you choose to repay me? By sneaking out against my wishes, like some low-class juvenile delinquents?"

Concordia bit her lip as N looked off to the side; Anthea merely flinched under her words, feeling despair at the disappointment in his words. Ghetsis set his glass down on the table, folding his fingers underneath his chin as he continued to gaze at them.

"I hope you have realized that I do this for your own good," He continued, "I want to keep you _safe_ ; I want to keep you _pure_ ; I want you to one day walk out of these doors, facing the world as the _perfect_ individuals who can succeed at everything."

"And this is how you plan to do it," N replied. Concordia and Anthea's heads shot towards him, eyes wide with alarm at him speaking up. Ghetsis merely chuckled, waving his hand dismissively at the girls.

"Let the boy speak girls," He said, resting his chin on his hands again. "I am interested in what he has to say."

Concordia balled her hands into fists as she forced herself to look away from N; Anthea merely dropped her eyes back towards the ground, her bottom lip grasped between her teeth. N nodded towards his father, almost in a way that could be mistaken for thankfulness, and continued with his speech.

"You may keep us _safe_ from the outside world harms," N began, "But you have never kept us safe from the harms of being isolated from anyone else. You may keep us _pure_ , but we're already tainted by the ways you punish us for failure! You want us to be _perfect_ , but you seem to be forgetting one important thing!"

Ghetsis smirked. "And what's that my dear boy?"

"That _no one_ is perfect. That _perfect_ makes for people who are dull, uninteresting, and lonely. It's the quirks and _imperfections_ that allow someone to succeed in life; to feel peace and happiness!"

Ghetsis laughed; a loud, booming sound echoed throughout the large room. "My child, is that what those ragamuffins have taught you? That perfection is _unobtainable?_ That there's no such _thing?_ "

"I've learned that from them," N replied boldly, "And from mother."

Ghetsis's eyes went wide as he sat up straighter. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," He reiterated, "I learned it from mother. I learned from her that there isn't such a thing as pure perfection or failure; that there isn't such a thing as pure black and white. It's a combination of these, of black and white, that makes an individual; that makes a unique shade of gray that people color with their own personalities!"

Ghetsis narrowed his eyes as he stood up from his chair. "You insolent little brat…" He snarled, advancing on N. "After all the times I've told you-"

"Told me what," N interjected, "Told me to never mention mother? Told me to never speak of her again? She's not a plague father, she's a human being!"

"A _deceased_ human being!" Ghetsis roared. "She is _dead_ , and you know damn well that it was _your birth_ that caused it! So how dare you speak of her as if you know her; as if you actually got to _enjoy_ the grace of her presence!"

"I'll speak of her if I want to." N spat, glaring back at his father. "She is my mother, my own flesh and blood. She birthed me, loved me in her final moments of life; I felt more love in those few moments than I've felt from you in my entire lifetime!"

Ghetsis glared at N, eyes wide with rage. His hands clenched and unclenched, the fists practically shaking with anger. Concordia watched him carefully, as Anthea cowered next to her. The fire behind them seemed to dance faster than before, obviously finding more fuel to keep it burning. After what seemed like hours of tense silence, Ghetsis spoke, causing each of them to practically jump out of their skins from his voice.

"I see that someone," Ghetsis's eyes shot towards Concordia, causing her to swallow in fear, "Spoke about your mother. I now know that, this outburst isn't your fault; it's merely a result of having been corrupted by the outside world and by the delinquency of family members."

N moved towards his father, hands balled into fists. "There has been no-"

_"Enough,"_ Ghetsis bellowed, raising a hand in front of N. He stopped moving forward, immediately returning to his place in the lineup. "As of tomorrow, I will have guards surrounding the backyard. Also, each of you shall be watched by your own secret guard. They will be with you at all times, yet you may never see them in your entire lives. Think of them as your own personal guardian shadow. Do I make myself clear?"

Silence was his only answer. _"I said do I make myself clear?"_

"Yes father," They said in unison, their body language speaking as if they were nothing more than dogs being punished for having chewed on the sofa. Ghetsis smirked, returning to his seat in his chair. He sat down, resting his chin on his fist.

"You are dismissed." He said, staring past them and into the fire. The three walked to leave, passing by his chair. Concordia passed by his chair last, immediately drawing his attention solely onto her.

"Except for you, Concordia," He said, gaze never leaving the fire, "You and I must have a personal chat."

Concordia turned to look at Anthea and N, both of who were staring at her with concern. She nodded towards them, waving her hand as if to shoo them from the room. They left reluctantly, Anthea closing the door softly behind her; the click of the door closing seemed to echo throughout the room. Concordia stood in silence by her father's chair, waiting for him to speak.

"My dear Concordia," He began, picking up his wine glass again, "Where did I go wrong?"

Concordia swallowed before speaking. "Wh-What do you mean father?" She asked, mentally cursing herself for stuttering.

Ghetsis gazed through the glass into the fire, watching as the light reflected off the glass; the flames seemed bigger and hotter through the glass than through the normal eyes. "I mean, my child, why did you speak to N about your mother?"

"He was always asking questions," She replied, "And no matter how many times I told him not to ask, he still persisted. So I gave in, and told him all that I knew."

"I see…" He murmured, the tip of his nose just grazing the knuckles of his folded hands. "I should have known…from the first time I caught you, I should have known that _you_ were the troublemaker."

Concordia swallowed, the memories of that time coming back to her so clearly that it seemed to have happened only yesterday.

* * *

_"Hey, Concordia," A small voice called out. Concordia glanced up from her large, leather bound book; it appeared to be written for someone with a brain more developed than her young twelve year old mind._

_"What is it," She asked, blue eyes meeting bright innocent green. The young boy blinked as he tried to read the pages upside down; he appeared to be no older than nine._

_"Can we go outside today?"_

_She sighed, her eyes turning back to the book. "No N."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because daddy doesn't like it."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because he wants to keep us safe," She muttered, her mind forcing her to concentrate on the book as much as she could. "He'll get bored with the questions soon enough; just stay strong." She thought to herself. N crawled up to her so that he was kneeling beside her, his face right next to hers._

_"Why?"_

_She sighed, closing the book and laying it in her lap. "You know the reason why." She muttered, rubbing her temples. N shook his head, his already long wild green locks shaking behind him._

_"Nu-uh."_

_She stared at him, blue eyes wide with wonder. "He…hasn't?"_

_"Nope," He said, opening his eyes to look at her, "Can you tell me?"_

_"I…uh…" Concordia stuttered, eyes darting around the room as she tried to think of a way out. The voice of her father echoed in her mind, a tall menacing figure only illuminated by the orange glow of a fire._

"You are to never speak of why you must not leave the house; it is best that he never knows, so that he may grow… _pure."_

_N's eyes widened with excitement. "So you do know!" He shouted as he began to bounce on the bed. "Tell me tell me tell me!"_

_Concordia glared at him. "I most certainly will not!" She snapped, picking up her book again. "Now shoo; I'm at a very interesting point."_

_"But-"_

"N," _She growled warningly, turning her head slightly to glare at him. N slowly backed up until he was on the edge of the bed._

_"I was just curious…" He mumbled, plucking at the sheets on the bed. Concordia rolled her eyes as she turned back to her book._

_"Curiosity killed the cat."_

_"But satisfaction brought it back," A voice cheerfully called from a spot hidden from N and Concordia's eyes. The two looked around the room, taken by surprise by the voice that sounded so familiar._

_"Was that…" N began, but was interrupted by a trap door opening in the floor to continue. Out of the door popped a pink head, large pink eyes blinking rapidly as they became adjusted to the new lighting._

_"Lookie what I found," She said, grinning happily as she pulled herself up from the ground. N jumped off the bed as he raced towards the hole. Concordia sighed as she set the book on the bed, calmly getting it off it herself._

_"You're gonna get in trouble for getting dirty Anthea," She scolded, walking towards her two siblings. Anthea smiled sheepishly as she ran a hand through her hair._

_"I made sure to stay clean," She said before breathing out an almost silent 'mostly'. Completely oblivious to the world, N's head was stuck far down the hole as he gazed around it in complete wonder and amazement._

_"Wow," He said, coming back up above ground, "It's like a whole new world down there!"_

_Anthea nodded her head excitedly. "I know! And guess what?"_

_"What?"_

_"I think there's a way outside!"_

_N's eyes were as wide and shiny as freshly washed dinner plates. "Really," He asked excitedly, watching as Anthea's head bobbed up and down. He immediately turned to Concordia, bouncing on his knees excitedly. "Can we go outside now Concordia? Can we can we can we?"_

_Concordia placed her hands on her hips. "For the last time, no! Now stop asking!"_

_"Aw, but Concordia," Anthea whined, "I was already outside, and got to go to this park with a cool jungle gym!"_

_Concordia's eyes almost bugged out of her head._ "You _went outside?"_

_Anthea rubbed the back of her neck. "Um…Sorry?"_

_N sat back on his rump, arms crossed over his chest as he pouted. "If she gets to go outside, then I should too!"_

_Concordia sighed. "N…"_

_"Pretty pretty please?"_

_She bit her lip as she thought it over. "….Fine."_

* * *

N leaned against the wall, Anthea sitting next to him on the windowsill. His hands were in his pockets while his eyes were trained on the door, awaiting his sister's arrival.

"She's been gone a while…Hasn't she," Anthea mentioned quietly, her gaze directed at the floor. Her hands were neatly folded in her lap; her head was bowed slightly so that her face was hidden. N glanced at her, nodding as he turned back to the door.

"She's fine though," He stated without a hint of doubt in his voice. In reality though, he was worried just as much as Anthea, if not even more. Fate seemed to take pity however when the door opened to reveal a perfectly fine, albeit morose, Concordia entering the room. She closed the door softly behind her, immediately triggering a barrage of questions from Anthea.

"What happened? Are you okay? He didn't do anything right? Oh, I'm so so sorry Concordia," Anthea said, rushing to embrace her sister in a tight hug. Concordia smiled slightly, patting Anthea on the head as she returned the hug.

"I'm fine," She answered, "He just decided to bring up the first time we got caught. And…" She swallowed as she remembered. "And its consequences."

Anthea and N shared a glance, both remembering the event as clearly as if they experienced it like Concordia had.

* * *

_Soft giggles could be heard echoing throughout the dark passageway, yet not through the floorboards. Concordia crawled at the front as N followed, a bright smile on his face._

_"I think today was the best day yet so far," He said happily, the smile never leaving his face. Concordia nodded, her own smile on her face._

_"You seemed to have fun with that young girl and her friend," Concordia mentioned, remembering how N had been laughing and playing with two young children. N blushed slightly, looking down at the ground._

_"Yeah, Touko is really neat," He said shyly, "But her brother's really weird."_

_She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"_

_"He says the best legendary dog is Raikou, when_ obviously _it's Entei!"_

_She giggled, knowing that when it came to Pokemon her brother was passionate about his favorites. "Oh really? And what does Touko say?"_

_"Well…She says Suicune is, but that's okay!"_

_"And why's that?"_

_"Cuz Suicune is pretty awesome too! Entei's just better cuz he's got his own movie."_

_"Is that so," She said as they reached the trap door. "Well you'll just have to prove that to them when we see them again!"_

_N nodded as she pushed open the trap door, light flooding the dark passageway. Suddenly a large hand reached down and pulled Concordia out, causing her to shriek in surprise. N's eyes widened as he scrambled towards the hole, clambering out to see what caused the commotion. There in Concordia and Anthea's room stood Ghetsis ,holding Concordia by the scruff of her dress as Anthea watched with wide terrified eyes in the corner. N stood up on the floor as his father stared down at him, an angry sneer on his face._

_"So, the little troublemaker reveals himself," He said, dropping Concordia onto the floor. She landed on her rear, causing a slight grimace to appear from the sudden pain she felt. N's tiny hands balled into fists as he glared up at his father._

_"Don't drop her like that," N retorted, stomping his foot against the floor. Ghetsis advanced on N, causing him to back up slightly. He chuckled darkly as he kept eye contact with his son._

_"My my, such a confident voice, yet continually backs up as I come forward," He noted, "My boy, if you don't have the bravery to back up your comments,_ then don't speak at all." _He hissed the final part, causing more fear and adrenaline to pump through N's small body. He grabbed N by the neckline of his shirt, lifting him up in the air as he kicked wildly. Concordia's eyes widened as she stood up and ran towards Ghetsis, her arms wrapping around his lower half._

_"Father don't do anything to him," Concordia shouted ,burying her head in his side. "I…I allowed him out! He was only following what I said; he's just an innocent child!"_

_Ghetsis raised an eyebrow as he stared down at Concordia. "Oh? And what about the trap door? Who found that one?"_

_Concordia bit her lip as she looked back at Anthea. "…I did."_

_Anthea gasped, covering her hands with her mouth as she trembled. N thrashed harder, trying to escape his father's grasp. "No you didn't!"_

_Concordia looked up at him with sad eyes, giving him a strong smile. "Yes, I did N," She repeated, "There's no need for you and Anthea to cover for me anymore. I'm admitting to what I've done wrong, so please, just….just let me take my punishment."_

_Ghetsis's eyes darted between her and N. "…Very well then." He said, dropping N to the floor. He landed with a loud_ thud , _a small yelp of pain escaping his lips. Concordia wanted to run to him, yet her wrist was grasped tightly in her father's hands as he pulled her in the opposite direction. She looked back, watching as Anthea ran towards N and knelt beside him, checking to make sure that he wasn't seriously injured. Concordia turned away and bit her lip as she heard the sobs begin, only for the sound to be cut out immediately as the door was closed behind them._

* * *

N laid on his bed, arms resting behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. His eyes gazed up at the blank ceiling, wishing that instead of the carpet looking like the sky it was the ceiling as well.

_"At least then I could pretend I'm outside,"_ He thought forlornly, looking out his window. A soft knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, causing him to turn his head from the window towards the door. "Enter."

The door opened as Concordia walked quietly in, closing the door behind her. N sat up in the bed as she approached him, quietly sitting at the foot of his bed. He moved to join her at the foot, sitting beside her. The silence was tense as both waited for the other to speak; finally Concordia broke the silence.

"I'm sorry," She said quietly. N blinked, so surprised at the words he had heard that he thought he had misheard.

"What?"

She turned to face him. "I said I'm sorry. If I hadn't of gone out, then we wouldn't be in this mess. I should have ignored that stupid boy and just stayed at home, like I'm supposed to."

N shook his head. "Don't be sorry just because you wanted to have fun. Being sorry for something like that is like…is like being sorry for being in love with someone."

Concordia smiled slightly. "I guess."

"In any case," N continued, "I should be the one who's sorry."

Now it was Concordia's turn to be surprised. "What are you sorry for?"

"All those years ago," He began, "If I hadn't pestered you so much…if I had fought harder to take the blame for what happened, then maybe…maybe things could have turned out different."

Concordia shook her head. "No…I doubt that things could have turned out different after you had that taste."

He stared at her, waiting for the rest of her explanation. "Really?"

She nodded. "You may have been more careful-like we've been ever since that day-but you'd have wanted to keep going out. You'd have wanted to keep experiencing the world. You…You would have wanted to keep seeing her."

Realization dawned upon him as he realized that what Concordia said was true; that no matter what course they had taken, he would still have had a desire to see Touko. He chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair, suddenly realizing the irony of their situation.

"It doesn't matter now though," He said quietly, "No matter how much I want to see her, I won't be able to with these new guards and stuff he wants to put in."

"They'll find a way," Concordia said quietly. N looked towards her in question, meeting her blue eyes with his own green.

"You think so?"

She nodded again. "Definitely. Touko and Touya are just far too determined and stubborn to just wallow in misery and let us suffer. No doubt they'll drag Bianca and Cheren into the mess too."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they dragged the whole Elite Four with them as well," N chuckled, knowing how obsessive Touya was of the group. Concordia smiled and laughed quietly as well.

"I wouldn't be surprised either," She said, leaning back on her elbows on the bed. N lay down beside her, arms already folded behind his head. She glanced over at him before turning her gaze out towards the window, the lights of the city vibrant against the dark night sky.

_"They'll come for us…I just know it."_


	10. Chapter 10

Touko sighed, her head hanging off the side of the bed as she stared up at the ceiling in boredom. Her arms and legs were splayed out on the bed; her hair fanned out against the side, tips brushing against the floor slightly.

_"After that night, I thought Concordia might be more lenient…."_ She thought, resting her arm against her forehead. _"And yet, N so far hasn't come by at all these last couple of weeks."_

She flipped onto her stomach, eyes glancing over at the DS that laid unused on her bed stand. She propped her head onto her hands, her gaze turning to the window. Outside, the sky was filled with clouds, some menacing while others just purely fluff. The sun still found cracks through the white armor though, mercilessly beating down on anyone that crossed its path. The streets were empty though; the weather was hot and muggy, and anyone with half a brain would be inside enjoying air conditioning rather than be outside. Even through the heat however, the grass and trees stood strong and tall; the perfect example was the one by her window, the one that N used quite frequently to visit her.

_"No,"_ She thought as her gaze landed on the tree, imagining the many times N had come by.  >em>"Something's telling me it's not Concordia. Something…Something's off about all this…"

The door to her room suddenly burst open, Touya leaping in with a water gun in hand. "Cool off a little bit love birds!" He shouted, immediately squirting Touko and her bed. He laughed crazily with his eyes closed as Touko shrieked, completely oblivious to the fact that it was only her voice that could be heard. Once the gun was empty, he opened his eyes to survey the damage, a grin on his face. He blinked in confusion however when he only saw an extremely soaked and angry Touko sitting on her extremely soaked bed.

"Wait…I thought…" Touya began, before being interrupted by Touko.

"Yes, _please_ tell me what you were thinking before I interject with murdering you," Touko growled, her hands balling into fists. Touya's eyes widened as he waved his arms in defense, water droplets from the squirt gun flying everywhere.

"No no no, you've got it all wrong sis! It was just so quiet in here; I thought you and N were, you know, making kissy face," He explained quickly, "So, you know, me being me, I went out and filled up my water gun to barge in on your alone time like any obnoxious brother would do! So please don't hurt me too bad!" He cried out, falling to his knees and clasping his hands together in prayer. Touko sighed, running a hand through her wet hair.

"Yeah yeah," She grumbled, flopping back on her bed. Touya looked up, noticing the loss of desire to kill him in her. He crawled forward, crossing his arms on the edge of the bed and resting his head against them. He looked at her, her arm splayed against her forehead and eyes staring at the ceiling.

"Something the matter?"

She sighed, rolling onto her side so she could look at him better. "I think…something is wrong in that Harmonia household."

* * *

"So you think N, Anthea, and Concordia are in trouble?" Cheren asked, his fingers laced together to make a resting place for his chin.

Touko nodded, glancing down at the chess patterned floor. "It's just…a feeling I have."

After having confided in Touya about her uneasiness, he immediately insisted upon calling an emergency meeting between the four of them. No matter how she tried to argue that it had nothing to base itself on and would probably pass eventually, he still insisted that if it wasn't just passing and _was_ actually happening that they should do something about it. And so it led to where they were now; in Bianca's kitchen, with a plate of chocolate chip cookies in the center, discussing her suspicion that something was amiss.

Touya nodded, face covered in chocolate as he swallowed a mouthful of cookies. "Yeah! And why shouldn't we believe her? I mean they're like _soul mates_ ; from all those crummy romance chic flicks I've been forced to watch, soul mates practically read each other's _minds_."

"Didn't you cry at the end of Titanic though?" Bianca asked, nibbling on a cookie.

"That's not the point," Touya shouted, face a bright red, "The point is that Touko is like connected to N by some string of fate, so since she has the feeling that something funky is going on, we should believe her!"

Cheren sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "As nice as that sounds, the fact still remains that we have no solid evidence that anything suspicious is going on. Therefore we can't go to the police with mere 'soul mate' suspicions and expect them to do something."

"Well then let's get some hard evidence!" Touya said, slamming his hands on the table. The other three looked over at him, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"And just how," Touko began, "Do you plan on us doing that?"

Touya grinned mischievously, "Stakeout."

* * *

"Whoa," Touya said, looking through binoculars, "I totally know what I'm being for Halloween this year!"

"What are you talking about?" Touko asked, staring at him confusedly. After Touya's suggestion, they eventually came to the agreement to proceed with the stakeout, resulting in them lying on their stomachs behind some bushes, their binoculars trained on the large mansion.

"I think he means the guards patrolling the grounds," Cheren said, staring intently at the guards. The outfits that the guards wore closely resembled medieval knights; blue hoods drawn over heads with matching blue shirts, complete with blue gloves and boots. They wore black tights, and over the shirts wore white smocks tied around the waist by a black band, a shield with black and white pattern with a blue letter "P" standing out on it.

"It is a rather interesting outfit," Bianca muttered, "Do you think they're cosplay guards?"

"That's a real thing?" Touya asked, looking over at her. Bianca shrugged, staring up at the mansion.

"Possibly; stranger things are out there."

"Can we bring our focus back to the matter at hand," Touko snapped, glaring at the two of them. Bianca and Touya looked at her sheepishly, muttering apologies under their breath. Touko sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she turned her attention back to the house. She looked on hopelessly; the number of guards seemed to increase by the second, and no doubt they would be heavily guarding the secret passageway into the house.

"We need a distraction," Cheren said, putting down his binoculars. He sat back on his heels, staring intently at the ground as he thought, "Something big; something that's so obnoxious that nobody could withstand not being drawn to it."

Immediately, all eyes were directed towards Touya, who was still staring at the mansion. He shuddered slightly, feeling six eyes bore holes through the back of his skull, causing him to slowly put down his binoculars and look at his friends.

"…Why do I feel like this is going to involve me getting hurt in many creative and abstract ways?"

* * *

One of the guards standing watch of the secret entrance yawned, his eyes watering slightly. His companion glared slightly at him, her elbow jabbing him in the side. He yelped, grasping his side as he glared at her.

"What was that for," He asked incredulously.

"You seemed to be falling asleep on the job," She retorted, "And I refuse to have _my_ pay docked for _your_ fatigue."

He rolled his eyes. "Relax; this is the most boring job we've ever had to do. It's not like someone's going to pop out of the bushes to try and bust in here."

Just as she was about to reply, rustling came from the bushes. The two stood on high alert, their bodies tense for any conflict that would arise. They rustled again, and soon a squirrel jumped out of the bushes, running across the lawn. The two sighed, shoulders slumping as they relaxed.

The male looked towards his female companion cheekily, a slight blush on her face. "Well that was-"

Before he could finish the sentence a toy army jeep burst through the bushes, a seemingly male teenager and a young girl riding inside it. Their faces were covered by dragon masks; the male guard screeched, jumping into his companion's arms in surprise. The young girl laughed, pointing at him as the jeep made doughnuts on the lawn.

"Geez, what a sissy," She called out. The male guard flushed, getting to his feet and glaring at the intruders.

"Halt," He shouted, "You're trespassing on private property! Identify and remove yourselves from the property immediately!"

"Don't wanna," The girl shouted, pulling out a large water gun. The boy drove close enough to the guards so that the girl could spray them both, giggling madly the entire time. The jeep then drove off, the girl waving farewell to the guards from the back.

"You'll never take me alive coppers!" The boy shouted, his head thrown back. The guards gritted their teeth, giving chase after the two of them.

"Get back here you delinquents!" The male shouted, waving his fist at them. The jeep sped through the bushes, prompting the two guards to follow them through it. The yard grew peaceful once again; Touko poked her head out of the bushes, looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

"Coast is clear guys," She whispered back to Bianca and Cheren, "Come on!"

The trio climbed through the bushes, dusting off their clothes and picking twigs from their hair. "I can't believe Iris let us use her toy jeep for this." Bianca said, dusting off her hat.

"I can't believe Iris actually wanted _in_ on it," Touko said, leading the way to the passageway. Cheren pushed his hands into his pockets, following the two to the crawlspace as he added his own comment.

"I can't believe Drayden was able to trick it out to go thirty miles an hour."

* * *

"Wow, these guys have some stamina!" Iris said, watching as the two guards chased them.

Touya nodded, glancing over his shoulder before returning his attention to the road. So far the two of them had to dodge a woman walking her dog, the mailman, and any cars that drove down the road. They were able to swerve and avoid them fine, but the guards behind them had less luck doing so smoothly; there were multiple twigs in their hair and stains on their uniform from diving out of the way.

"I'm still wondering about the dragon masks," Touya called over his shoulder, "They kinda make it hard to see the road!"

"They keep our identities secret from these guys, duh!" Iris said, rolling her eyes. "Plus, dragons are cool!"

Touya rolled his eyes before turning down a side street, swerving to dodge a car as it began to pull out of its driveway.

* * *

"Ooh, how much longer?" Bianca whined as she crawled behind Touko in the tight space. Touko and Cheren sighed; this hadn't been the first time Bianca complained about the length.

"We're almost there Bianca, I promise." Touko said, seeing small rays of light ahead. She crawled faster, her heart beating faster at the thought of discovering what was happening inside the mansion. She got onto her knees, using her hands to push upwards on the trapdoor. Unlike the many times she was there before, though, the trapdoor didn't budge; Touko's eyes widened as she pushed harder only to get the same results.

"What's wrong," Cheren asked, sensing Touko's sudden panic. She looked back at him, her eyes wide.

"It…it won't budge," She said helplessly.

"Maybe it's stuck?" Bianca offered helpfully, smiling. Touko shook her head, looking down at the ground.

"It's never been stuck before…We always made sure it was in working order." She muttered, remembering all the times she had snuck in, and all the times N would tell her if something was wrong with the trapdoor. She looked up, her eyes filled with determination as she met Cheren and Bianca's curious gaze.

"Come on," She said, turning back around, "We need to find N."

* * *

N sighed as he tossed a baseball up into the air, catching it as it came plummeting back down. His DS lay forgotten on his bedside table; ever since Ghetsis had permanently grounded them, he had lost all passion for the device. His days were usually spent with learning from his tutors, staring longingly at the outside world while the guards patrolled the grounds, or spending time with his sisters. He sighed again, lying on his side to stare at the floor.

_"I hope you are well…Touko,"_ He thought, head resting on his arm. The times they spent together replayed in his mind every day; the games they'd play, their time as a couple, even the night dancing away at Castelia Café. All of it replayed tauntingly in his head, casting him even further into sadness since he knew that Ghetsis would make sure that N never saw her again.

_"He doesn't know about her though,"_ He reminded himself, _"There's still hope that we will meet again."_

The trapdoor burst open suddenly, causing N to bolt upright in surprise. A hand shot up out of the hole, followed by Touko's torso as she began to climb out. Right after her came Bianca, her breath coming out in pants as she slumped onto N's floor.

_"Finally,"_ Bianca said, eyes closed in exhaustion, "I thought we would never get out of that tunnel! I'm not made for places like that you know."

"We know," Cheren said, climbing out, "You told us so every ten seconds."

"Touko…" N said, not daring to believe his eyes as she dusted herself off. She headed towards him, taking his face in her hands as she looked into his eyes.

"Are you alright," Touko asked worriedly. N smiled, placing one hand over hers as his other came to cup her cheek.

"Yes I'm fine," He said, "How did you get past the guards though?"

"It involved a neighbor, her toys, and Touya." She said, grinning. N chuckled, imagining the spectacle that must have played out in his backyard. He suddenly tensed though, feeling eyes staring straight into his room, watching his every move. He turned away from Touko, looking around his room; Touko watched, worry etched onto her face.

"N," She asked, gently touching shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"Shadow Triad," He muttered, turning back to look at her, "You have to get out of here now."

"What's a shadow triad?" Bianca asked, looking over at Cheren. He shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"The Shadow Triad is almost like secret service," N explained quickly, "One is assigned to each of us and they've been tracking our movements throughout the house."

"So that's why you haven't been able to sneak out!" Touko exclaimed. N quickly put his hand over her mouth, effectively shushing her. He looked around his room, trying to pinpoint where the feeling had come from; the feeling had however left him as quickly as it came. He carefully removed his hand from her mouth, looking at her with worried eyes.

"You need to get out of here. Now," He said. Touko shook her head, defiance blazing in her eyes.

"No! I won't leave you here to his devices," She said defiantly, "You're coming with us!"

"You don't understand," He said harshly; Touko involuntarily flinched, "He's a powerful man, running both big businesses and underground jobs throughout this city. He's not a man to be trifled with; he is extremely dangerous."

The door to his room opened suddenly, causing the four to whip their heads towards the entrance. Ghetsis stood in the entrance, hands clapping slowly, a small smirk on his face. Beside him stood a white haired man, his face covered by a black mask that matched the black pants, boots, gloves, and shirt that he was wearing. Ghetsis himself wore an incredibly ornate robe; half was purple while the other half was gold, with both halves having menacing eyes that were the color of the other side. The cloth was attached to a brown intricate collar, blue stones shining around the inlays while the shield symbol on the chests of the guards shone on his.

"My," He began, his lips turned upwards into a menacing grin, "I'm so _glad_ to finally meet your _friends,_ N."


	11. Chapter 11

After having been discovered by Ghetsis Touko, Cheren, and Bianca were led to Ghetsis's study by the Shadow Triad. They were now standing before Ghetsis; he stared at them with half-interest, swirling half empty contents of a wine glass. Touko swallowed biting her bottom lip as she looked towards N as he stood behind Ghetsis's chair with Anthea and Concordia, hoping for some form of reassurance. N merely gave her a small smile, yet his eyes seemed to tell her that no matter what she would be alright; Touko relaxed slightly.

"Hey hey hey, quit manhandling me," Shouted a voice outside of the study. The group stiffened, immediately recognizing it as the voice of Touya. All eyes besides Ghetsis's turned towards the door as it burst open, revealing a struggling Touya and two bedraggled guards.

"We've caught…Finally, we got…" The male guard panted, trying to catch his breath. Ghetsis merely raised his hand, effectively silencing him.

"You may have caught a trespasser," Ghetsis began, "But you let in three intruders by leaving your post. And that is a _much_ bigger failure than letting one trespasser get away."

"We promise that it will never happen again." The female guard said, bowing in the direction of Ghetsis's chair. Ghetsis smirked, sipping from his glass as he stared into the glass.

"You're right, it won't. Because as of today, you are fired."

"F-Fired," Both guards exclaimed, looking at each other. Suddenly the Shadow Triad appeared around them; two of them grasped the guards, while one took Touya out of their grasps and led him towards the other group. The two guards struggled and fought as hard as they could to get away from the two other members of the Triad. Despite their best efforts, they were seemingly effortlessly dragged out with the door closing behind them.

Touko looked over at Touya, eyes conveying worry over Iris's fate. Touya merely gave a grin, trying to convey the message that she was okay. Suddenly Touya was shoved towards the group, causing him to stumble forward; Touko steadied him as he turned around to glare at the Shadow Triad member.

"So, the gang is all here," Ghetsis drawled, setting his glass down. He pressed his hands together, his fingers forming a steeple as he rested his head behind them. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Father, please-" N began before Ghetsis raised his hand to silence him.

"I believe I was talking to your vagrant companions, not to you," Ghetsis said, "Now will you speak, or are you dumb and mute?"

Touko glanced over at her friends; Cheren gave a slight nod as Bianca bit her bottom lip slightly, signaling that she should be the one to speak. Touko mentally prepared herself, taking a deep breath as she began to speak.

"Sir, we came because we were concerned with how N, Concordia, and Anthea were doing," Touko said, hoping that her voice didn't give away how nervous she was.

"And exactly why would you be concerned with how my children are doing," He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Clearly they don't appear malnourished; they have clothing, and a roof over their heads. So what if you don't see them for a few days? Perhaps they are trying to _accomplish_ something and don't have time for your silly little games."

"I know N, and I know he wouldn't ignore the people he considers important no matter how busy he is." Touko stated confidently. "He would make time to see us and to enjoy himself."

"And just how do you know that he considers you important?" Ghetsis asked, smirking.

"Because he knows the dangers of what he's doing by coming out to see me, and yet he still does it."

"And how do you know that isn't just teenage rebellion?"

Touko opened her mouth to retort, but found that she couldn't come up with a logical argument. It's not that she didn't think N considered her important just because, but rather that she _knew_ it in her heart without any logical reasoning. And in this battle with Ghetsis, Touko knew that just using feeling and words would fail miserably.

Ghetsis's smirk grew at her lack of a response. "That's right, how _do_ you know that once he gets out of these years he won't just abandon you like a child abandons an old toy? You are obviously something quite… _foreign_ to him, and something that I don't approve of at all. What makes you think he isn't doing this as one of those petty acts of rebellion you teenagers are so fond of?"

Touko balled her hands into fists as she spoke. "Because I know in my heart that he cares more about spending time with me then with stupid rebellion!"

Ghetsis suddenly laughed, causing Touko to startle slightly. "You…You are a fool, aren't you?" Ghetsis suddenly asked her. Touko blinked, confused by question.

"What…What do you…"

"You're in love with him, aren't you," Ghetsis spat. N's eyes widened as Touko's face suddenly burned bright red. Ghetsis's sneer grew more sinister at her reaction as he continued.

"Stupid girl, letting him play you like that," Ghetsis began, "This boy has spent much of his life in this house with barely any human interaction; he probably doesn't even know what love is! His actions are probably merely friendly or childish curiosity, and you've gone and _misinterpreted them."_

Touko bit her bottom lip as she felt tears well up in her eyes. She closed them, fighting them back as she directed her face towards the ground; her hair hid her face from Ghetsis's view as her shoulders shook. N's hands balled into fists as he saw her expression; he felt anger well up inside him at how incredibly sad and vulnerable she appeared. Ghetsis merely smirked as he leaned back in his chair, glancing over at Cheren and Touya.

"And let me guess, you two probably thought these girls had a thing for you as well," Ghetsis asked, gesturing towards Anthea and Concordia. Touya merely blinked in confusion as Cheren's cheeks slightly took on a red hue. Concordia felt her own cheeks heat up as she saw Cheren look towards the ground, his hands shoved into his pockets; he glanced towards her out of the corner of his eyes. Ghetsis cackled at their reactions as he took his glass in his hand.

"See children, this is why I wanted to stay away from people," Ghetsis said, gesturing towards the group, "You three are socially inept besides what I have taught you to thrive in the world of success, and look where it has gotten you."

"You're wrong," N said, standing tall and speaking confidently. Ghetsis glanced over his shoulder at N, an eyebrow raised in his direction.

"What was that," Ghetsis asked in a threatening manner. N walked forward, carrying himself like a king as he headed towards Touko.

"I said," He passed Ghetsis's chair, "That you are wrong." He said, standing before Touko. Although Touko was still not looking up at him despite him having moved closer, all eyes were now trained on them. N gently reached out, grasping her chin and tilting her face upwards so that their eyes could meet; his green eyes stared into her glimmering blue eyes.

"I may not have much experience with the outside world," He said, loud enough for Ghetsis to hear but soft enough to be considered soothing, "However, I know that what I'm feeling is much deeper than shallow rebellion. My most treasured moments are with Touko, and I always feel happiest when I am with her."

"N…" Touko breathed softly. N smiled as he brushed hair from her face; his hand came to rest on a tear stained cheek softly.

"I only want her to be happy and safe," He continued, "I've tried to keep her safe, but obviously I've failed if she is standing here. If she would be happier with another person besides me, I would stand by her as she worked towards her new love. Therefore…if this isn't love, this powerful desire to be by her side and always see her smile…then I don't think I will ever understand it. And I will hope that I never do, because anything stronger than this will drive me mad."

Touko felt tears well up in her eyes again as she launched herself into N's arms; he returned her embrace tightly, his head resting on top of hers. Touko looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in happiness.

"Do you…Do you mean it," Touko asked softly. N nodded, smiling tenderly at her.

"Every word."

Touko felt warmth spread from her chest to every fiber of her being at his words. She stood on her tiptoes as she suddenly pressed a kiss to his lips, eyes closed. N's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but slowly closed as he responded to the kiss, pulling her closer to him as they forgot about the room around them.

Ghetsis glared at the couple, his grip tightening on his glass as he contained his rage. Suddenly he heard movement to his other side; he glanced over and saw Concordia walked towards Cheren, her shoulders squared back. She stopped in front of Cheren; Cheren raised an eyebrow, causing her to blush lightly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I…I-I just wanted to say that, for a guy that hangs out with a bunch of idiots, you're…" Concordia paused, her face flushing a light shade of pink. "You're…n-not so bad."

Cheren blinked in confusion slightly as Concordia looked away. He then smiled as he stepped forward, placing his hand on top of her head. She looked over at him, eyes questioning; he leaned in slightly, kissing her gently on the forehead. Concordia's eyes widened as he did; she stared up at him as he pulled away, a playful glint in his eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself," He replied, smiling lightly. Concordia blushed as he did, turning her head to look away from him.

"D-Don't think that gets you out of any trouble you might get into though," She said, "Y-You still have a long way to go to impress me!"

"And yet I've seen enough to know I'll never be impressed," Ghetsis growled, slamming his fist on the table. Everyone jumped at his reaction; N stood protectively in front of Touko, glaring at Ghetsis. Ghetsis stood, his robes flourishing as he did.

"I've given everything to raise you ungrateful brats," Ghetsis began, "And _this_ is how you repay me?"

"You didn't raise us," N spat, "You treated us like prisoners, keeping us locked up in this house at all times! What parent does that to their children, and then expects the child to be grateful for it?"

"The kind that has done so for their own best interest," Ghetsis shouted.

"For whose best interests though," N retorted, "For your own, or for the child's? You wanted us to be successful, and so you have kept us locked away to not be 'tainted' as you put it. While we…we only wanted to be like the other kids, outside and making friends, living a normal life! If you wanted our best interests, you would have let us out!"

"As a child, your best interests were too focused on the present, and not on the future." Ghetsis replied. He walked towards N until they only stood a few feet apart; they both stared coldly at each other as he continued speaking.

"I raised you with the best interests for the future in mind, not for your childish present," He said, "I only wanted what was best for you three."

N narrowed his eyes up at him. "I'm sure if mother were alive she'd-"

_"Your mother abandoned you,"_ Ghetsis screamed at him. N's eyes widened, and Touko watched as his body stiffened at his words.

"No…" N said, trying to calm his breathing, "She…she didn't abandon us, she died!"

"That's all a lie," Ghetsis sneered, "That woman…she showed up on my doorstep, you cradled in her arms while tugging along those two!" Ghetsis pointed at Anthea and Concordia, who both looked as shocked as N did.

N's body trembled slightly, his eyes falling to the floor as he tried to comprehend everything. "Why…why…"

"Your mother…she was a past friend of mine, and could no longer handle the burden of having you three with her," Ghetsis explained, smirking at N's form, "She knew I was well off, and knew that I could give you a life like no other. And as she handed you over to me, she said these exact words: 'Keep him safe, and raise him to be the greatest that he can be. Never let him know of my existence and my failures.' And I've kept my word since; I've kept her a secret from you for so long, kept you safe, and have raised you to be the greatest you can be."

"Where…" N swallowed, trying to dissolve the lump in his throat, "Where…is she now?"

"Even if I knew," Ghetsis began, "I wouldn't tell you."

N glanced over at Concordia and Anthea. "You two….you knew?"

"We had no idea N," Concordia shouted, feeling her heart break at N's broken expression, "We were given the same story that you were given, I swear!"

"But you spent time with her…" N murmured, his hands balling into fists, "You…you actually got to live with her, and then she just handed you off to him! How can you not remember something like that?!"

Concordia felt the tears prick at her eyes as Anthea spoke. "N, please, we truly don't remember. Memories at that age never stick around…Even if we wanted to, we probably wouldn't be able to recall."

"The world is a cruel place N," Ghetsis said, clasping his shoulder. N looked at the hand on his shoulder as he looked up at Ghetsis, his mind still reeling. Ghetsis merely gave a small smile as he stared into N's confused eyes.

"I have worked to protect you from it for so long…I have tried to save you from these realities, because I knew that you wouldn't be able to handle it. You've always been rather sensitive to these topics," Ghetsis said in a soft tone, almost like a father would to his real son, "But now you know the truth…and now, finally, you can make an informed decision. So go ahead and choose; choose either a world where you can follow that girl who will most likely hurt you in the end, just like your mother, or stay here….with me, and experience a life safe from these troubles."

N bit his bottom lip, breaking his gaze from his father's. Touko saw as Ghetsis smirked, his eyes dancing in glee as he thought that he won. Touko suddenly rushed from behind N, pushing him behind her as she shoved Ghetsis's hand off his shoulder. N's head snapped up as she spread her arms to protect him from Ghetsis; Ghetsis merely glared at her.

"Stop manipulating him like this," Touko shouted, "If I was going to hurt him, I would have never come here today! In fact, none of us would be here if we didn't care enough about him to only want him safe!"

"Yeah," Touya shouted from his place in the line-up. N glanced over at him as he turned his gaze back to Touko's back, eyes wide with wonder. Touko continued with her speech, her blue eyes staring straight at Ghetsis.

"The world isn't a cruel place N; it's filled with a lot of good things! You know this, you've been out there! Sure, there are some sad and really bad things out there….But when you have friends and family that care for you, you never have to deal with them alone! So don't give up just based on what he says!"

"Touko…" N breathed. Touko looked back at him, smiling brightly as she ignored Ghetsis's presence. N's eyes suddenly widened as he saw Ghetsis raise his hand, preparing to strike her.

"Touko," He shouted, reaching out to grab her to pull her out of the way. Confusion flit across Touko's face as she turned back to Ghetsis, only to be struck hard across the face. Touko fell to the ground, her body landing on top of N's; she groaned as she held her cheek, a red welt forming. N held her close to him, staring up at Ghetsis as he stalked towards them.

"I…will teach you…to _know your place,"_ He roared, raising his hand again in attack. N pulled Touko tighter to him, his body moving to protect her from any blows. Before a hit could land, a sound of clapping and a voice speaking interrupted the moment.

"Well, that's quite a show you're putting on there," The voice said, coming from the doorway. Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway; Touya gasped in surprise as he saw Alder and the other Elite Four standing there, with Iris perched atop Alder's shoulder.

"See Uncle Alder," Iris said, pointing at Ghetsis, "I told you something fishy was going on in this big house!"

"U-U-Uncle," Touya exclaimed, pointing at Iris. Alder patted her head, placing her down on the ground as he stepped into the room with the rest of the Elite Four.

"Well, it certainly seems you were right about that." Alder said, hands on his hips. "I wonder Grimsley, what kind of punishment is this man facing?"

Grimsley smirked, running his hands through his hair. "Well, assaulting a minor with intent to harm them can get a maximum of a year in jail. Add onto that about-oh, I'd say eighteen or so years of emotional neglect and abuse-and I'd say that even if he doesn't get a good amount of jail time, he won't be seeing these kids for a long time."

"You…You have nothing against me," Ghetsis spat, pointing at Grimsley. Grimsley smirked, holding up a tape recorder; Ghetsis's jaw dropped, the color draining from his face.

"Oh, but I do," Grimsley said, "You see, I worked for a while as a private investigator before Alder recruited me. So I know to bring certain devices with me at all times in case certain…situations like this arise."

"You…I…" Ghetsis stuttered, unable to coherently form a sentence. Caitlin stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest.

"We notified the authorities that something strange was going on at this address," She said, "Once they hear everything that's happened, these kids will be placed into some protection program to keep them away from you. Especially those three," She gestured towards Anthea, Concordia, and N, "Considering that they are legal adults now."

Ghetsis trembled with suppressed rage as the sound of sirens could be heard outside. Soon police officers entered the mansion, storming into the study quickly. Ghetsis looked around and, seeing that he had lost, raised his hands in defeat. An officer approached him, immediately cuffing him and leading him out of the study. Others began interviewing everyone in the room; N looked down at Touko as she lay in his arms.

"Are you alright," He asked. Touko nodded, her own hand coming up to caress his cheek. N leaned into her touch, his eyes closing as she did.

"Are you," She asked softly, eyes shining with concern. N sighed, turning slightly to kiss the inside of her wrist.

"I…I don't know," He murmured, eyes closed, "My entire life…I've been lied to. I don't know what to think…I don't even know what to do now."

"N…" Touko murmured, biting her bottom lip. Footsteps approached them, causing both of them to turn their attention to the female officer standing before them. They both stood up, N taking Touko's hand in his as he helped her up.

"Sir, we'll need for you and your sisters to come with us to the station," The officer said, "There, we'll put you three into a protection program so that your previous guardian will be unable to find you."

"And what about Touko and everyone else," N asked, looking over at them. She smiled reassuringly, gesturing around at the other officers.

"Don't worry, my comrades will make sure that everyone gets home safely and will no longer be bothered by Ghetsis." She said, "However, in order to make that happen, you will have to leave and not tell anyone where you are."

"But…but then…" Touko said, looking at N with wide eyes. The officer nodded, smiling sadly.

"I'm afraid so," She said, "Part of the protection program entails complete secrecy in the locations of the clients. After this, the two of you may never be able to see each other again."

"No…" Touko murmured, feeling her heart clench at the idea. N looked away, his hands balling into his fists as he processed everything. After a few moments of silence he turned back to the officer, his eyes set in determination.

"If it means she won't get hurt, then I'll do it," N said. Touko immediately looked over at him, eyes beginning to tear again. N looked over at her, giving a small smile as he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry about me Touko," He said, bringing her hand to his lips gently, "I have faith that we'll be able to find each other again. Just trust me, okay?"

Touko nodded, squeezing his hand back. "Okay…I'll trust you."

N smiled, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. He then turned towards the officer, releasing Touko's hand as he did. "I'm ready to go now ma'am."

"Oh, you can call me Jenny if you want," The officer said, smiling. N smiled as Concordia and Anthea walked over to them, both looking a bit more forlorn than before.

"Thank you Officer Jenny," N said, smiling. Jenny smiled, leading the three of them out of the study towards the cars waiting outside of the house. Touya came over, resting a hand on Touko's shoulder as Cheren and Bianca came over as well.

"You okay sis," Touya asked, concern in his voice. Touko nodded, wiping at her eyes; tears had begun to fall without her noticing.

"Yeah," She said, sniffling slightly, "I'll be alright." She said, placing her hands over her heart as she glanced towards the window of the study; she saw N inside the officer's car staring back inside. He gave her a small smile and a wave as the car began to pull away; Touko smiled and waved back as he disappeared into the distance.

"After all, we'll definitely find ourselves together again someday." Touko said a small smile on her face.


	12. Epilogue

_Touko looked around, eyes wide with confusion as she tried to comprehend her surroundings. She was in what appeared to be the throne room of a castle; how she got there, she wasn't sure._

_"Hello," She called out, "Is anyone here?"_

_"Touko," A voice called from behind her. Her body stiffened as she whipped around to face the voice, her mind reeling as she tried to process it._

"It couldn't be…" _She thought eyes wide as she stared at the space before her. Standing in front of her, smiling as the sunlight from a gaping hole in the wall behind him streamed in, was N. Even though they hadn't seen each other for two years since that day, he still hadn't changed._

_"N…" She breathed out, walking towards him tentatively. He smiled, holding his hand out to her; she took it, shocked by how warm it was._

_"You haven't changed a bit." N said. Touko blushed slightly, smiling up at him._

_"Well neither have you," She retorted, "Where…Where are we by the way?" She asked, looking around. N smiled, placing his hand on her cheek; she leaned into his touch as he did._

_"Call it a crossroads if you will," He said, stroking her cheek gently, "A place where I'm moving on from my past….Where what I do now will be completely up to me to decide."_

_"What do you mean?" She asked, placing her hand over his. He merely turned, tossing a ball out of the hole. She watched as the ball burst open with a bright white light, fading to reveal a pure white dragon with shocking blue eyes. She gasped as she recognized the creature, turning to N with shock on her face._

_"That's…That's Reshiram," She stammered, "But how…"_

_"Touko," N cut her off, "You have dreams, right? Dreams and ideals that can change the world?"_

_Touko nodded. "Yes, but what-"_

_"Well those dreams and ideals must be realized," N said, grasping her hands in his, "You can do it, I know you can! But, until then…Farewell!"_

_He released her hands, jumping onto the back of Reshiram. Touko ran to the hole, watching as he began to fly off into the distance. Touko reached out to him, tears gathering in her eyes as he grew smaller and smaller in the horizon._

_"Wait, N!_ N!"

"-And we're here," Touya shouted, slamming on the brakes. The occupants of the car jerked forward in their seats, groaning as some crashed into various objects. Touko held her head, having been jolted from her dream as her head collided with the dashboard.

"You idiot, watch how you're driving," Touko hissed, smacking Touya's arm. Touya rubbed the back of his neck apologetically.

"Sorry…"

"I'm still amazed you received your license," Cheren said, pushing his glasses up his nose as he exited the car. Bianca followed suit, pouting slightly at the comment.

"Oh Cheren, be nice! Touya is an excellent driver when he's paying attention!"

"Thanks Bianca," Touya said, grinning. Touko rolled her eyes, stretching as she stood up after having been cramped in a car for so long.

_"Two years…has it really been that long?"_ Touko thought, looking out at scene spread before her. Dormitories were sprawled across the landscape as students just like her were carrying their luggage, moving into a new chapter of their lives.

"Hi there," Came a cheerful voice. Touko turned, spotting a girl with dark blue hair wearing a white hat, thin red scarf, a short pink dress with a black vest overtop, and pink boots grinning at them. "My name is Dawn, and welcome to Sinnoh State! Need any help moving in?"

"Um, do you know where Twinleaf is? I'm supposed to be moving in there," Touko said sheepishly. Dawn nodded, pointing out a dorm that was a little ways off from the hustle and bustle of the movement.

"It's that one over there," She replied, "And hey, maybe we'll see each other around! I'm one of the RAs staffed there this year."

Touko smiled as she heard this. "Maybe we will. Thanks a lot Dawn!"

"No problem," Dawn replied before running off to help the next batch of new move-ins. Touko picked up some of her bags, with Cheren, Bianca, and Touya also carrying some of the load.

"Alright troops, let's move out!" Touko announced, heading in the direction of Twinleaf. As they walked, Touko couldn't help but think to herself about everything that had happened so recently, all culminating to her moving in and becoming part of the Sinnoh State University life.

A few weeks before that, they had all driven out to Kanto College for Design to help Bianca move into her new dorm. Her father had been adamant about her staying closer to home, but after much begging, pleading, bribery, and ear-pulling on her mother's part, he had consented to letting her go. Bianca had chatted animatedly about her new roommate, saying how they had talked over the summer and hoping that it would be the best year ever.

_"I can't wait until I actually meet her in person!"_ Bianca had squealed excitedly when they entered the dorm. When they had opened the room however, they were greeted with a familiar face; Anthea looked up at them, surprise clearly written on her features. After much excitement, it had appeared that Anthea had changed her name due to the advice of the police protecting her identity from Ghetsis and had decided to attend school there. With even greater serendipity, she had noticed that Bianca had chosen a room and, without a second thought, chose to be her roommate.

"Yo Touko, what floor was it again," Touya asked, looking over his shoulder at her. Touko was snapped out of her thoughts as she looked over at Touya.

"Fourth floor," She replied, "Might as well take the elevator."

"Pfft, hell yeah. I ain't walking up that many stairs with all your crap." Touya said, punching the button to call the elevator to the ground floor. Touko smiled lightly as she went back to thinking about the next exciting moment in their lives.

After having moved Bianca in and been reassured that classes were starting much later in the year, they all drove to Hoenn University for Cheren. Touya had snickered when he saw that their slogan was that they "hone in on the great minds of each generation!".

_"Shut up, I went for the engineering program, not the slogan." Cheren snapped, smacking Touya across the back of his head._

They had moved Cheren in with relative ease, considering that he wasn't much of a material person and only really brought essentials. After having moved him, the group decided to go out and get something to eat at a university sponsored restaurant.

_"Gotta make sure they're gonna feed ya right Cheren," Touya said, grinning happily._

_"Even if this meal will cost you an arm and a leg?"_

_"Well that's why you're paying!"_

They had sat down at a pub style restaurant called Lilycove, where everything was themed to represent a seaside resort of sorts. The food had been good, although a bit overpriced, but what had been the most interesting part of the visit had been the people they met there; or rather, the person they met.

_"Oi, we need a waitress over here," Touya shouted, waving his hand. Immediately coming out of the kitchen was young woman around their age with blonde hair, blue eyes, and the restaurants uniform. Cheren's eyes widened as he spotted her, and her eyes widened as well when they locked._

_"Concordia…"_

Once she had gone on her break, she met up with them and told them how she was doing work-study at the restaurant to help pay for her tuition. As they finished their meal and caught up on everything, the group had decided to leave Cheren and Concordia alone to privately catch up.

_"If you make-out, at least do it privately," Touya shouted back at the couple. Cheren threw a straw wrapper at his head as Concordia blushed madly._

This brings Touko back to the present, the elevator dinging to signal that their floor had been reached. The doors slid open, revealing girls and boys barely dressed moving throughout the floor due to the lack of air conditioning.

"Phew," Touya said, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Glad I chose to go to Unova and stay home!"

"That's just because you're a lazy bum." Touko retorted, heading towards her room. The floor had been styled so that rooms were clustered into quads; boys were on one half of the floor while girls were on the other. Touko dragged her bags behind her, the weight combined with the stifling heat of the floor tiring her out even more.

"Need some help," A male voice behind her asked. Touko shook her head, turning to look at the person.

"No thanks, I'm-" She stopped midsentence, eyes widening as she took in the person before her. Her heart began pounding, and she almost thought she might faint from the shock. Just past his long, shaggy green hair, she could see her friends' equally shocked expressions as they stared at their interactions.

He raised an eyebrow, smiling at her. "Are you sure? You seem a bit winded."

Touko shook her head, a small blush crossing her cheeks. "Um, a-actually, yeah, you could help me out." She said, shoving a bag in his direction. He chuckled, taking the bag and carrying it in the direction of her room.

"Alright then," He said, stopping at her dorm room. Touko raised an eyebrow, wondering how he knew where her room was.

"I'm an RA here," He said, leaning against the wall. She nodded, taking out her key and unlocking the door. She opened it, finding a bare room with only essentials for a college student; luckily for her she brought enough stuff to decorate her side of the room. The RA entered the room, setting her bag down on her bed.

"Your bag is pretty heavy," He commented, stretching, "What's in there, bricks?"

Touko snorted as she hopped onto her bed. "The only thing that could constitute as a 'brick' would be my DS."

"Oh," He asked, raising an eyebrow, "And what games do you play on that?"

"Oh, just some Pokemon," She said, shrugging. "I actually just got the newest game that came out."

"How interesting," He said, "Because it just so happens that I got the newest game as well. Perhaps we should play against each other some time?"

Touko smiled, looking over at him. "I'd like that a lot."

He nodded, heading out of the room. "Well, it was nice talking with you Touko," He said. He paused in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at her as he smiled. "May we meet again."

"Oh don't worry," Touko said, grinning, "I'm sure we'll have plenty of encounters N."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pops bottle* So glad to have this moved over.

**Author's Note:**

> Here have a irl AU about Pokenerds.


End file.
